Just a Little Girl
by AJJary
Summary: Kimberly Anna Marie Foster looks for all the world to be a little girl. But when she gets a call from Nick Fury saying that the Avengers need her help, things get revealed that at one point in her life would've had her killed. With nothing better to do she helps them save the world, but what will she do when it all comes down to her choice? (Temporary image)
1. Who the hell are you ?

The phone rang, just as the morning pain hit her. She sighed and rolled over, picking up the phone and glaring at the number. She didn't recognise it.

"Hello." Her voice was low and strained. She glanced at the clock on her bedside and groaned. Who would call her at 04;03 on a Saturday. If it had been one of her friends a) she would have expected it and b) their number would be on her phone.

"Is this Kimberly Anna Marie Foster?" The use of her full name caught her attention. She sat up as she spoke.

"Yes, whose asking?" She reached for the light switch by the side of her bed, may as well get up.

"Nick Fury, we need you here now." She stood up so quickly that she was dizzy.

"What! Woah there buddy, you can't just call me at 4 in the morning on a SATURDAY and have the only explanation you give me be 'I'm Nick Fury' Why do you need me?" She leant against the wall for a second and walked sleepily to her wardrobe, pulling out a hoodie a vest top and a pair of ripped jeans.

"We, the Avengers, need your knowledge on shapeshifting. Loki's come back and is trying to wreak havoc and claim earth, he has an army of shapeshifting aliens. I've already called the others, their on their way. I need you." She stood and stared at her wardrobe in silence for a second. "Kimberly-"

"Kim's fine. How did you know about my ability?" She pressed her phone against her ear with her shoulder as she tied her brown ombre hair up into a short stubby ponytail.

"I've read your files, all of them." She stood holding her phone to her ear for a second before she pulled it away from her ear.

"Okay, I'll be there." She hung up and pulled on her clothes.

She had just reached the door, breakfast biscuit in mouth, before she quickly ran back and wrote a note, sticking it to the fridge door. Closing the door quietly behind her she left her house and jumped into her classic mini, starting the car.

Muttering curses at Nick Fury she drove down to the Avengers tower. She parked a few blocks outside and walked the rest of the way. She met Fury at the door. He glanced her up and down a smile on his face.

"That better be an apologetic smile or else it will be soon, boy." His smile vanished and he reached a hand out. She shook it and glared at him.

"You're not what I expected." He led her inside and she followed, glaring at his back for the comment.

"What do you mean? What did you expect? Someone tanned? Someone with the perfect physique? Well sorry cupcake, life aint like that." He looked at her over his shoulder and she bristled. "And if we're being honest, when you said your name I expected your father." He froze and turned to look at her properly.

She was average height, maybe a bit taller, with slightly tanned skin from years in American sun. She crossed her arms and glared at him, covering the logo on her hastily thrown on hoodie.

"Second floor 3rd room on your left. Wait there." He turned and left. She stuttered and glared at his back before shouting after him.

"American or English second floor?" He yelled back and she sighed.

"American." Oh stars, this was going to be fun. She stood up straight, ignored the pain tingling along the entirety of her body, and started up the stairs.

One set of stairs later she found the room. It was a window walled room, with a massive glass desk and several seats around it. She walked towards the window and looked out at it, taking in the skyline that according to Fury would soon be destroyed by an impatient and needy trickster god. She sighed and sat down, glad that she had brought her phone with her. She put her headphones in and stared out the window, knowing full well that there was no going to sleep now.

"Who the hell is she and what is she doing in my building." She turned around and waved.

"Hello boys, Natasha." Natasha waved back somewhat perplexed as Kim got up.

"Oh, so Natasha gets a name but were just boys?" She turned to face who was speaking. He was average height with dark hair and an annoyingly knowledgeable tone.

"If I had said all of your names it would've been longer. I know all of your names, I just can't be bothered to say them."

"I want to know who is in my building and why you're here." She glared up at him and smirked.

"It's been a long time since anyone said no to you hasn't it? You want names, fine. You're Tony Stark aka Iron Man, you're Thor, god of Thunder, you're Steve Rogers aka Captain America, you're Bruce Banner aka the Hulk, and you're Clint Barton aka Hawkeye." She signed the last part unintentionally as she spoke. "And I am-" Fury entered the room and raised a gun. She raised an eyebrow at him, _Now really,_ as the gun went off. Everyone turned to face Fury as her body went slack, _Anytime now._

It started. Her cells heated to boiling point as they speed up. A small gasp of pain escaped her as her heart rate picked up and she jumped backwards an hour. Her hair fell around her shoulders and the hairband was on her wrist. She stood up and glared at Fury.

"A warning next time, cupcake." They were all looking at her as she sat back down. "My name is Kimberly Anna Marie Foster, if you want a name to check. If you do I wish you luck with that. You wont believe what you see."

"Am I the only one confused by what just happened?" Stark asked as he turned to face the others, they were all staring at her. Never in her life had she felt so powerful. Bruce spoke up.

"You're a mutant."

"Of sorts, yes. I was born like it, a long time ago." Stark leant towards her and she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Your hair's down now, what did you do?" Kim sighed and pushed the chair back so that she could stand up without hitting Stark.

"I changed, I went back an hour. It's my mutation if you will. It seems you need a better demonstration." She stood up and felt her cells heat up again, this time going back further. Her body shrank as her clothes grew too big for her now young body. She looked up at them through a badly cut fringe that she had had when she was 13 and had promptly grown out.

"Kimberly's mutation enables her to cheat death, as long as it isn't initially fatal. Isn't that right?" She changed back, her hair still loose and nodded.

"You read my files, if anyone here knows its you, I gave up caring after the 1st millennia." She realised what she had said and covered her mouth only to remove it and smirk. She didn't need to worry anymore, they wouldn't kill her. "I'm 2 millennia old ish. I gave up counting. I am fluent in over 6 thousand languages, both current and dead as well as sign languages from around the world. I am always the oldest person in the room and I am always a walking disaster. I am still not sure as to why Fury wants me here. Other than the fact that I am a master in a few martial arts. I don't know what I bring to your group." She said it with a smile, this was the first time she had said it all aloud and not been hung or killed for it.

"As I said on the phone-"

"She gets a phone call? All I got was an annoying buzz that told me I was needed."

"As I was saying, you are a shapeshifter, you know how it feels, you can help us out think them." Kim shook her head.

"I'm not smart, I'll tell you that now. Send me in with a plan and maybe I can help but otherwise this whole thing will blow up in our faces and it will be because you got me involved."

"What is the plan anyway?" Bruce asked as he turned to Fury taking the attention away from Kim. Natasha sat down next to her and spoke.

"I suggest we stop Loki from doing what he plans on doing." Bruce pulled a face and Natasha smiled back. Kimberly laughed.

"Why don't we figure out what he's planning-"

"World domination."

"- And where he is."

"He knows that we're here right? Then he'll come find us. Surely that's obvious. Attack the strongest when you have the most troops, strategically that's the best plan. Isn't it?" Kimberly glanced around the assembled group and hoped one of them would say something.

"Cap, you've seen war. Is it?"

"Strategically yes, its likely. He'll attack us first." Stark thought on this for a second before speaking.

"Then he'll come here won't he. And we'll be ready." A rip sounded and they all turned to look out of the window. They didn't see anything.

"Did you rip your trousers or something cupcake?"

"Stop it. Look." Nick pointed at the sky and Kimberly cursed as the others stood up and then turned, grabbing weapons on the way out. Natasha stopped at the door and turned.

"You need a weapon or something?"

"I'd like one please, even if I don't use it." She got up and ran out of the room with Natasha as they went down to the armoury


	2. Just a Little Girl

"Holy Shit." Kimberly cursed as she looked up and was met by the sight of hundreds if not thousand of constantly changing enemies.

"Still need a plan?" Hawkeye asked as he read her lips.

"I've heard most plans don't last first contact with the enemy." She said as she signed to Hawkeye who laughed at the response. _Shove your plan up your ass this is a disaster anyway._

"Thor, Kimberly, that is your name isn't it? You two find Loki, the rest of us will protect the city." Thor nodded towards the captain and then they were running to follow Loki who had split from the group.

They didn't get far when they were spotted by the shifters. They were ugly looking things, looking at them too long made your eyes hurt. Kimberly was glad for the gun Natasha had given her as she fast ran out of bullets.

"Go, I'll hold them back." Kimberly nodded and ran towards the building Loki had landed in. It was smaller than the Avenger building, and nowhere near as complex. He wasn't on the first floor, she looked for a lift but didn't see one. Oh joy stairs, she hated them they messed with her joints. She bit back a curse with each step and ran up the stairs.

"So this is what they send, not even my brother, not even Hulk a mutant. Just a human child." The voice was everywhere and nowhere at the same time. She kicked the door open and smirked, she'd always wanted to do that. There were 3 of him, each an exact replica of the first.

She closed her eyes. This was the reason Fury had picked her, his tricks didn't work on her. Her mind was so broken and torn from age and pain, it had stopped trying to perceive lies.

"I'm more than a child." Kim opened her eyes and looked him dead on. He flinched and the illusions shattered, only for more to appear. She took a step forward and he took one backwards.

"What are you?" He panicked. Kim noticed something off about him, his eyes where pure white. She had seen footage of him before, his eyes were not white. Something was wrong. She grinned as she thought about it, taking another step, pushing him against the wall. He realised and jumped forwards, grabbing her arm and catching her by surprise. Kim's eyes widened and she willed herself smaller, shrinking to that of her 11 year old self. Her wrist slipped from his grasp and she jumped back up, aching all over as she changed back fast enough to take her breath away.

"What are you?"

"I'm like you." She jumped backwards as he forced her onto the defensive. "I'm 2 millennia old. I ache all over, constantly. I know what its like to be you. Muscles always being torn and stretched and shrunk. Shapeshifting hurts, gods does it hurt, and that pain is my life." He lunged at her again as it clicked into place. His eyes were white, when they weren't meant to be. He had been a prisoner of Thor's, so why was he here? She'd seen this before, when they'd used mutant genes on soldiers in the war, it had produced a white glaze over their eyes that meant they were under control. He wasn't the boss, he was the bait.

"Shit." she stood still and waited for the second before he hit her, then hit him with a pressure point. His eyes widened then the white receded as he was pulled out of consciousness.

"What set it off? He's a god? He cant be affected by genes. So what, what, what?" She thought as she ran back down the stairs, changing form and pulling a weapon from the past. Her mutation was special, it created a temporary pocket of time where things could exist, and she could get them if she remembered when she had had them. This time it was a pair of scimitars, long and deadly. She had had them when she had been 12 she hadn't known how to use them. She did now.

"Loki?" Thor asked as she chopped of an aliens head as way of entrance.

"Unconscious, for now. Can you cover me as we get back to the others, I figured something out." Thor looked at her but nodded as they made their way back to the others carving a way using her scimitars.

"Kimberly, did you find Loki?" Captain asked as he jumped down next to them. She nodded.

"He shouldn't wake up for at least half an hour. Also, he's not the boss." The cap looked at her as did Thor.

" What do you mean?" Cap ducked down behind his shield as bullets bounced off of it. Kim span around and sliced at them with her scimitar. A sound like a radio turning on buzzed in the air. Kim flinched and raised her hands to her ears, Thor glanced around and tried to cover his ears whilst fighting off the shapeshifters.

"You guys alright?" Hawkeye asked as he appeared from behind one of them, an arrow in its back. Kimberly glanced at Thor, his eyes going glassy.

"Shit, someone knock him out." Everyone turned to face her and she shifted involuntarily. "He's being taken over, do you hear that noise?" They shook their heads, Natasha and Stark glancing at each other like she was mad.

"What noise?" Thor's eyes were white, like Loki's had been and Kimberly could feel her hold loosening.

"Someone knock him out! Or he'll kill us, it's what happened to Loki." She shifted back 70 years, when she had been deaf. Thor lost control completely and launched himself at them.

It happened fast, Hawkeye readied his bow, but he wasn't as fast as Natasha who hit Thor hard in the temple and knocked him out cold. The asgardian lay on the floor and Kimberly looked up to the sky, certain that they were trying to talk to her. Something had to be broadcasting the noise. It was like a radio, you needed to be tuned to the right station to hear it, and the others weren't. So where was it?

" _Kimberly? Are you okay?"_ Hawkeye stood in front of her and signed, if they were signing for her they must have tried to talk to her.

" _I could hear it, I was losing control. I went back to when I had been deafened. Sorry."_ He nodded and spoke to the others, telling them that she was fine. Something happened and they all turned to look up at the sky, Kimberly followed their lines of sight and swore.

"I guess we found your boss." Her body shifted and she could hear again, the buzzing too strong. She slammed her hands over her ears and turned to Stark.

"Anyone have any ear buds?" Her body aged to 30 then shrank to 7. Her muscles screamed and she whimpered. Stark spoke to Jarvis who provided a pair from somewhere, he handed them to her and she quickly put them in.

They didn't block out everything, she could still hear them talking but she could no longer hear the thing that had taken over Thor and Loki. She took the form she was most comfortable in and looked up. The Boss, as Stark had called him, stood at the end of the street. His height was constantly changing, somewhere between 5" and 8" he only had one continuous feature which were the colour of his eyes. They were a toxic green, differentiating him from his underlings, that and his armour. He turned and locked eyes with hers, the buzzing became louder and she pulled her eyes away from him.

"Loki won't be unconscious for much longer, he needs to stay that way, else we'll have another person to fight. We need Thor out of here as well." Kimberly shifted slightly, ageing to 22 to pick Thor up. Natasha noticed her struggling and split of from the others to help her.

"You'll need back up." Natasha said as she shot one of them in the head, sending blood across the unconscious Thor's face. Kimberly struggled under the asgardian's weight as she dragged him towards the building with Loki in. This was the easiest place, it was the furthest away from the boss that she could drag the heavily muscled god. Natasha pulled an arm around her shoulders and took half of his weight, freeing Kimberly's right arm to protect them both.

Kicking the door open they half dragged half walked Thor onto the floor, apologising for the headache he would receive when he woke up. Natasha sighed and looked around the semi abandoned house.

"Human!" They both looked up then glanced at each other.

"I thought you said he wouldn't wake up yet?" Kimberly pulled a face and took an ear bud out.

"What?" Her hair fell over her shoulder as she turned towards the younger woman whose eyes glanced at the door leading to the stairs. "Oh." She ran to the door, quickly following Natasha who ran up the stairs only to be met by an angry god with white eyes.

"You." She hadn't put the ear bud in, she could hear the buzz again, and she realised this as he grabbed her collar. She changed unintentionally as her feet were lifted off the ground by the god. She felt herself losing it, her eyes going white. Natasha seemed to realise this, Kim felt the back of a gun hit her temple. The pain knocked her out.


	3. Conversing

"Ow." She sat up and held her head, feeling the bruise forming on her head.

"Back with us I see." She looked up and saw Steve stood by the door of the unfamiliar room. She shook her head trying to rid it of the dizziness, only to make it worse.

"What happened, I know Natasha knocked me out, but after that." Kim gestured vaguely and frowned. She noticed the bruises and cuts along his arms and face, something big had happened whilst she was out.

"When he realised that you had left, he left. I don't know why." Kim pulled the duvet off of herself and stood up slowly, Steve walked towards her and offered his arm to her. She looked at it, stood up straight and took a step, then realised that she needed the help and took the proffered arm.

"Right, so I think we can guess that who ever this is wants me for something. What happened to Thor and Loki?" He walked her out of her room and she let go of his arm and walked towards the sofa that she was certain that she could reach on her own. Steve let go of her and went to a small kitchen unit that was on this floor, apparently this was the living quarters floor of the tower.

Her knees gave out the second she reached the edge sofa seat and she promptly sat down, pulling her legs up beneath her.

"Where is everyone else?" Kimberly asked as Steve walked out of the kitchen with a glass of water which he gave to her as he sat down across from her.

"Natasha and Clint are out collecting up his arrows and helping with the clean up. Thor's still unconscious I think, whereas Tony and Bruce are down a floor trying to figure out what the hell happened to you 3." She sipped the water and frowned.

"Right. What happened to Loki?" She asked as she put the cup down.

"Loki's down stairs as well, still unconscious." The ding of an elevator Kim hadn't realised existed, drew their attention. A somewhat exhausted Tony Stark appeared,a purple bruise colouring his cheek bone, and slumped down on the sofa without a second glance.

"Their awake. Loki wants to see you." He pointed at Kim who raised an eyebrow but got up, slowly making her way to the elevator.

"Is it safe?" She asked as she pressed the button to go down a floor.

"Should be, when you get out of the lift just go straight." The doors closed as she watched him get up and walked in the direction of a room.

Ding. The doors opened and she walked across the well lit hallway, pushing open the door across the way. The room was split in 2 by a glass pane with a door. Loki sat on the other side of the glass, though he got up when he heard the door close.

"You." He was wearing normal, human clothes, instead of the armour he had been wearing.

"Me. Why did you want to talk to me?" Kimberly asked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"You changed. You're a freak of humanity, you're a mutant."

"That I am. I'm getting fed up of the spiel I keep on giving. I changed age didn't I. When you picked me up? That's my mutation, it acts unconsciously when I am in danger of dying, which I was. Thus I am well over the natural age of humans. 2 millennia to be precise. But you were more intrigued about what I said when we were fighting weren't you?" She sat down, on a chair that clearly didn't belong in the room, and looked up at him.

"You said something about knowing the pain I feel every time I use my power, how could a mortal know that pain?" He looked past her out of the glass wall, Kim turned and saw Bruce who was watching them. She sighed.

"I've already told you that I am something between mortal and immortal. Did they figure out what had happened to us?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Us? I gather Thor went under whatever had taken over me, but you as well." She nodded and gestured to the bruise on her forehead.

"Natasha had to knock me out, I was becoming like you and Thor."

"You lasted longer than Thor." He laughed.

"I can choose when I want to be, I made myself deaf. I only started to turn when whoever was controlling you showed up." He nodded and wrung his hands.

"About that, I have no idea who he was, but I remember that he sent me with a message. A message for you." Kimberly sat up straight and eyed Loki cautiously.

"What was it?" She asked as her eyes blurred suddenly, her world tipping to the side.

"I- you knocked me out, I don't remember now. It was important." The manipulating Loki was no longer there, he was genuinely worried for her. He looked up at Bruce who was no longer looking at them, instead he was looking at the end of the hallway. "Something's wrong." Kimberly turned and saw Bruce walk past the door.

Kimberly got up slowly, holding the back of the chair to help her up, and walked towards the door holding her stomach. She walked out of the door and saw what was wrong, a group of youths were stood by the lift.

"We mean no harm, we just come with a message for Kimberly." One of them spoke, he had a stretcher in his ear and red eyes. She had seen the stretcher and the red eyes before-

"What's happening? I can help." Kimberly stumbled back inside the room and felt her knees buckle, she pressed her hands against the wall to stop her from falling.

"They have a message for me. I-" Her knees gave and she fell to the floor retching. Loki took a step towards the door on his side and tried to open it. Kimberly stood up slowly and opened the door for him, there were people trying to get a message to her though they had previously tried to kill her, how much worse could letting a god out make it. She staggered and he caught her.

"Stay there." He tried to move away from her but her world turned sideways again and she grabbed his arm as a stricken Bruce walked in.

"We need to take her up to the medical room, she's been exposed to radiation. She's poisoned." Loki looked up at Bruce who only just seemed to notice him.

"We noticed." He pulled her into a standing position as she coughed up blood. She brought up a hand to cover her mouth.

"How long ago?" Bruce just stared at her as she doubled over in pain.

"How long ago, Bruce?" He looked up at Loki who was now the only thing keeping Kimberly from hitting the floor. Bruce's mind kicked into gear as he realised what was being asked of him.

"Since she was 13, they said." Her body heated up and her body shrank as she went back to that of her 12 year old self. Her legs were shaking as her clothes sagged over her smaller frame. Her hair reached halfway down her back as she stood up slowly. She brought a hand up to her mouth and wiped away the blood. She looked up at both of them only to fall unconscious, her body instantly changing back to that of a 19 year old. Her body started to spasm as it tried to rid itself of the radiation poisoning, by coughing up blood.

"Is there anything you can do?" Loki asked as he picked her up, holding her close to him, he was fascinated by her. Bruce shook his head after thinking for a second. "Great, then sorry for what I'm having to do." He placed one of his hands on her temple and her body shrank back and she stopped coughing.

"What did you do?" Loki looked up at Bruce quickly, still concentrating on what he was doing.

"I'm tricking her, she explained that her body reverts back to before it happened. I'm making her body think its in danger. Where is her room we need to lay her down." Bruce opened the door and lead Loki to the room she had woken up in.

"What happened, why is Loki carrying Kim?" Steve asked as he stood up and glared at the asgardian. Natasha looked over from the kitchen and nudged Clint who was making a coffee.

"She's been poisoned, her body is trying to change back and he's stopping it."

"How is that a good thing?" Natasha asked as Tony appeared looking shattered at a door that lead to his bedroom.

"She was poisoned when she was 13, however it seems that her body ages when she's asleep, which she is. He's keeping her at 12."

"Can someone open the door to her damn room." Loki looked up from her and glared at Steve who opened the door. He walked in behind the cap and put her down on her bed, pushing his hair out of his eyes before sitting on the bed and continuing with what he was doing. Her body grew for a second, turning 13, as it fought him. He furrowed his brows and ignored Steve as he closed the door.


	4. Taylor

She opened her green eyes and looked up, feeling unfamiliar hands touching her skin.

"You're awake." He yawned and she practically jumped off of him, changing into her 19 year old self. She instantly regretted it and started coughing up blood. She shrank back 7 years and looked up at him.

"What happened? How long was I out?" She sat cross legged as she pushed her hoodie sleeves up to her elbows.

"You fell unconscious, I've been keeping you at 12 for about 8 hours now." He yawned again as he got up and stretched.

"You saved my life, I would've killed myself. You must be exhausted." He looked over his shoulder at her as he left the room.

"What gave it away?" She stood up and followed him into the main room, only to see him walking towards the elevator. Her bare feet hit the ground as she ran after him and grabbed his wrist.

"Where are you going? You can't leave, he'll take you over again and you'll be used as bait." He turned to face her.

"I'm not welcome here, where I am a prisoner."

"At the moment you're a prisoner wherever you go. Maybe if you help us you'll actually be welcome." He yawned again and lent against the wall next to the lift. "For gods sake, go to sleep." She grabbed his hand and walked him over to the sofa which she pushed him onto. She caught him by surprise and he actually fell onto the sofa, grabbing her on the way down. She landed on her knees by the sofa and pain raced up her body causing her to bite her lip. She got up and sat on the sofa next to him as he scrambled up.

She rubbed her knee as she looked over at him, it hadn't really hurt but it had triggered the morning pain that wouldn't normally set in for another hour.

"Go to sleep Loki." She said as he stifled another yawn, his head drooping. He glanced at her, green grey eyes catching her in their gaze.

"How can I trust that you wont try to imprison me again." He had a point, sure, but surely the fact that she had actually freed him in the first place was proof.

"You saved my life and watched over me as I slept, the least I can do is let you sleep." He looked at her then shrugged before he lay down on the sofa, his head next to her. She noticed that he didn't close his eyes though, his arms were crossed over his body. She knew that there was no way that that was comfortable.

"You change age when you're unconscious." She glanced down at him as she reached for the remote on the table behind the sofa.

"I know. I can't help it." She turned the telly on and a news article came on dealing with all the damage done to the city this time. It even showed a picture of Loki from when he had tried to take over the world a couple of years ago.

"They still have that tape, I thought Thor destroyed it." He uncrossed his arm and relaxed slightly as she changed the channel quickly. His green grey eyes looked up at her and she couldn't meet them. He pushed himself up slightly and she looked over at him. "What's wrong child?"

"That's right, you still don't know my name. Its Kimberly, though call me Kim."

"What's wrong Kim?" She still couldn't look at him.

"I was there, that time. You would've had me killed if the cap hadn't distracted you from me standing up as well." He slumped down and rolled over, unintentionally putting his head on her lap.

"And here I thought it was something important." She glared down at him, though with the face of a 12 year old it didn't have the same menace.

"If you had tried to kill me then I would have had to have come out as being a mutant and would've been tested. I've had that done before, had all the blood drained from my body, only for my cells to kick start me again and bring me back from the brink of death. Surely you saw the scars." She gestured at her wrists where scars from tubing and needles littered her veins. "This way, with me becoming an Avenger, I come out as a mutant but also a hero. I would rather that."

"I- I didn't mean that, sorry." It was quiet as the noise from the telly filled the room. It wasn't long until Loki and Kim fell asleep. She hadn't actually slept for a day, and for a woman who normally gets 3-4 hours sleep on a good day getting none was bad.

She woke up to a muffled shh and a pen hovering just above her face.

"Don't even think about it sweetie." Natasha blinked at the nickname but let go of the pen anyway. Pouting slightly. Clint smiled and stepped backwards.

"Will you two ever learn to behave?" Steve asked as he walked over and handed her a cup of coffee. She took it and almost spilt it when Loki started to stir in her lap. She quickly put it down to let the asgardian up as he yawned and sat up.

"You're normal again." He said as he looked a her sideways. She smiled as she picked up her coffee and tasted it, she frowned and got up, walking towards the kitchen to put some sugar in it.

"Any thing happen whilst we were asleep?" She asked as she leant against the counter. She glanced at the brothers who were glaring at each other across the sofa, she caught Thor's eye and he turned away. Loki raised an eyebrow and turned to face her but Stark spoke so she turned her attention to him.

"A group of people with red eyes have demanded that you meet their boss, I'm gonna assume that that's the dude with the green eyes, or else they will start to kill people." He said as he leant on his hand and turned the telly on. The news was broadcasting the image of a reporter who was sat in the back of an ambulance getting a syringe pulled from her arm.

 _"_ _Kimberly Foster, whoever you are, please meet with them. They've started shooting people with undisclosed liquids, and issuing threats. I've seen the result of this chemical, it kills people slowly. I don't know what they want, I just know that this man-"_ A photo of the man who they called their boss came up. He had toxic green eyes and sandy blond hair that curled under his ear, a smug smile plastered on his face. _"plans on doing with you but is your life really worth those that live in Manhattan?"_

She didn't really have a choice. She put her coffee down and started towards the lift. They all moved as one, each of them getting up and taking a step towards her. Loki appeared in front of her, blocking the lift.

"What do you think you're doing." She looked over her shoulder at them all, ignoring the projection in front of her, and spoke to them all directly.

"My job-"

"As what, a hero. If you do that what's to say he won't kill you?"

"Not as a hero, as a daughter." Natasha and Stark paused mid step as what she had just said washed over them.

"So he's your father." Bruce said as her phone stared to buzz in her pocket. She nodded as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. Taylor. She cursed and picked up the call.

"Mom, what's happening. I got your note on the fridge but now- who is that?" She'd forgotten about her daughter. In all the mess she'd forgotten about her daughter.

"Tay, where are you? Are you safe?" They were all looking at her now, still standing up. She stepped away from the door and sat down on the sofa, her free hand running through her hair.

"I'm safe, I think. There were some on our street so I'm backtracking. I'm near the tower-"

"Go to the tower I'm there. It safe." She looked up hopefully and out of the window.

"Of course you are. I'll be there in a second." She hung up and Kimberly slumped against the sofa. Natasha sat down next to her and put a hand on her shoulder as Kim sat up straight and looked up at Tony.

"It is alright for my daughter to come here isn't it?" Natasha looked at her sideways.

"You- of course. Yes its fine." They all slowly sat down on the sofa as Kim got up and started towards the lift. Loki and Stark both started to get up before they realised the she was just going to get her daughter.

"She might be able to help us, you know. She takes biology and chemistry at degree level. She might be able to figure out what's happening to those people." She said as the doors started to close.

Taylor stood outside the door, Fury talking to her, telling her that she had the wrong building.

"Let her in cupcake. She's my daughter." Fury paused and glanced over his shoulder at her, questioning her. Kim knew why, Taylor looked nothing liker her. With her dark cocoa skin and her whisky afro tied back into a ponytail, it should have been obvious that she was adopted. Taylor smiled and pushed past Fury who had just given up with Kim and her family.

The 22 year old practically bounced as they went up in the lift. Kim rolled her eyes and ruffled her daughters hair. The door opened and they were met by the whole group. Kim sighed and leaned out of the way as her daughter started asking questions.

"Tay, shut up and get out." Kim said as she pushed her daughter out in front of her. Fury stood by the lift and smiled at Taylor's antics as she walked around them all, taking in everything.

"She's been influenced by you a lot." Kim looked over at him and smiled.

"I've had her since she was 8, she barely knew her parents." She said quietly as her daughter smiled and chatted with Natasha who was showing her the basics of a gun. Kim seemed to realise this as she promptly walked over and took the gun from her daughters hands.

"Not the girl who nearly blinded a guy at the shooting booth." Taylor smiled and laughed at something Clint said. Kim handed the gun back to Natasha then walked over to where the others had gathered.

"She looks nothing like you." Thor stated as Taylor laughed as she walked over with Natasha, Clint and Fury. Kimberly smiled and put her elbow on her adopted daughter's shoulder. Taylor turned towards her mother, flashing her pink nose stud, and realised the severity of the situation.


	5. Needles

"Right, what are we going to do about this then, they clearly can't have mom." The 180 turn was ridiculously fast. Stark realised this and raised an eyebrow before speaking.

"If we can get our hands on what their shooting them with then-"

"We may be able to figure out what they intend to do with both it and mom's blood and maybe-"

"Maybe we can come up with a cure to reverse it. But then we still have to get it and get it to the people." Taylor suddenly straightened and reached for her phone.

"Of course." She texted something to one of her friends and started towards the lift.

"Of course wha- don't just leave." Kim turned and grabbed her daughters hand.

"Pete got shot at, they missed but he kept the bullet, we can use that. He only lives down the street."

"Okay, but someone go with her, I don't want you getting shot at." She shrugged as Thor stepped forwards.

"I'll go with Taylor." Her whisky hair bobbed as she turned around to face the lift. The science major and the asgardian left and the room fell silent. Stark turned to face her with a smirk.

"I see what you mean by smart."

"Not quiet genius level but close. So what do we do now?" Kim asked as she sat down and picked up her now cold coffee.

"We'll need your blood, surely. You said that you can't die from age and this thing ages people prematurely." Clint suggested, Natasha nodded whilst Kim shook her head. Yes they were right but-

"Uh uh, you are not getting a needle near me." They looked at her.

"You're 2 millennia old, and your scared of needles, come on." Tony pulled her off of the sofa and she struggled to pull her arm back.

"Tony please." She tried to shrink and get her wrist out of his grip but he only tightened it. Loki saw the tears in her eyes and realised what her problem was. He walked towards her and got down to her level, she'd shrunk to a 7 year old version of herself.

"Let go of her Stark, I'll talk to her, is that alright?" He turned to face her and she nodded and rubbed her wrist. A tear fell down her cheek as she grew and turned back to normal. Loki gently took her hand and walked with her away from the others.

"I understand now, why you don't want to. But we don't have a choice, people could die, no they will die if you don't do this."

"You think I don't know that?" She snapped. "You think I don't know what will befall humanity if I don't give them my blood? I know Loki, but it still plays in my head. The endless pain and screaming, yes I know it could save the whole of humanity but I've seen what my blood does to people on its own without anything to counteract it." She leant against the wall and looked up at him.

"What does it do?" He leant towards her and gently pulled her hands from her face.

"It drives them mad, it stops them from being able to die. The pain drives them crazy, the lack of sleep doesn't help either. I've seen it happen." She let him hold her hands as she slumped to the floor and shook her head. "They can't have it on its own. It will kill them." He looked down at her and pressed his forehead against hers.

"They will fix it-"

"Mom!" Taylor appeared at the end of the small hallway they had walked down, Loki let go of her hands and sat on his heels as Taylor walked towards them.

"We have it. We almost got shot, but we have it." You could practically see the adrenalin coursing through her as she helped her mother off of the floor. Kim laughed as Loki got up and walked with them towards the others. Natasha and Steve were the only ones in the room when they walked back, Thor having gone to give Tony the chemical when they came back.

"Are they downstairs?" Natasha nodded as she put her coffee down.

"Want me to take you?" She asked as she stood up and walked towards the taller woman.

"Sure." Kim said as she pulled her arms closer to her as she shook. "Tay, you stay here okay? I don't want you getting hurt. Steve, can you please look after her, don't let her anywhere near Nat's guns." She said as the door to the lift closed. Taylor looked as though she wanted to say something but she didn't get the chance.

"What did you mean by not wanting the kid to get hurt?" She asked as they got out a floor below. Kim looked at her and realised that she should tell all of them what was about to happen.

"I'll tell you in a sec." Natasha nodded and pushed the door open, Tony and Thor turned around to face them. Tony held the small container that held the liquid they were trying to counter. He put it down and gestured for her to sit down. "Before anything happens, I need to warn you. There is a reason I don't like needles, they have almost killed me before. I have nightmares and I hate them. So I'm sorry but I'll try to fight you." Tony's eyes widened and she pulled her sleeve up without looking at the needle he held in his hand. He looked at the crook of her elbow and saw the scars for the first time, the scar tissue hard to touch and when he did she shrank away. She tried to hold back her body's natural instinct to shrink away from the thing that had hurt her before but in the end Tony grabbed her arm and pressed the needle to her skin.

When the needle broke the skin she tried to pull away from him, raising her legs up to his chest and pushing him away. Natasha grabbed her arm and pushed her legs off of Tony chest only to receive a kick for the action. Kim was no longer with them, she was in a bunker in a mountain, safe from the war, surrounded by 'scientist' who were putting needles in her. She kicked and screamed, until they put shackles around her wrists and a muzzle over her mouth. Then she thrashed and cried and tried to scream, until they took all of her blood. She saw it in a cannister on the floor, blood bright red, inhuman, hers.

Tony pulled the needle out and stepped backwards and put it on the table top. Then he drew a pint bag and pushed the needle in her still moving arm, doubling over to be level with her, crushing the already forming bruises. Kim was still in the mountain, watching the ceiling light flicker as the 'scientist' hovered over her. Another tube in her arm. More blood removed. She'd stopped trying to scream. Stopped trying to fight it. Stopped counting days. Just stopped. The light came on when and only when a 'scientist' entered to draw out blood. She'd forgotten what the sun was like.

"What was all the screaming?" Steve asked as three confused heads poked around the door. Tony pointed at Kimberly who was sat on the chair with her knees pulled up to her chest. Taylor's eyes widened and then Loki covered them.

"Your mother wouldn't want you to see her like this."

"But-"

"Go upstairs." Loki said as he span her around and all bar pushed her out of the doorway.

"No! I wa-"

"Go upstairs!" The forced calm he had put on for a chance of redemption shattered. Taylor shrank back then ran towards the lift. Loki turned around to face them. "I would apologise but she didn't do as I told her to."

"She isn't a soldier Loki." Steve said. Kim whimpered as the last drop needed for the pint of blood fell into the bag. Tony reached forwards and pulled the needle out and placed the bag on the table. She seemed to come back slowly, her green eyes focusing as they all sighed with relief.

"I see why you warned us." Tony said as she uncurled herself and pulled her sleeve down.

"How bad did I get you?" She asked in a quiet voice as she rubbed at the sleeve. Natasha pointed to a bruise forming on her cheekbone with a smirk.

"You pack one hell of a kick. Tony got the worst of it though." Kim looked up at him as he lifted his top to show her the mottled bruises. She winced.

"Sorry." She noticed that Thor was also carrying himself rather carefully. She frowned and curled in on herself.

"Whilst you're still down here, I was wondering. I could only find files for that name dating back to the 1500's, what happened to the others?" Kim noticed the way he walked was different because of the sore bruises.

"I went by a different name, Kimberly as a name didn't really exist. Before then I went by many names, when you're alive for too long people start to question things. Before then my name was Margery Foster and before even then it was Cecily Forester. That's as far as I remember, other than my original name which was Kiana. Why?"

"I was reading your file, it says that you were burned at the stake." She laughed.

"Supposedly."


	6. Plan

Tony held the blood up and saw just how different her blood was. Where most peoples was a dark red hers was bright, with tints of orange to it.

"Can I go now, your doing science type things." Tony looked over at her and nodded.

"Send Taylor down, you said she could help." Kim got out of the chair and held her arm to her body as she left, trembling slightly.

"Will do Stark, and you, Loki, are apologising to my daughter." Loki hadn't been scared for anything so small as a human in a while, but then Kimberly grabbed his hand in a vice like grip and glared at him. He complied and went with her.

When they got to the floor that Taylor had returned to she let go of Loki and kicked him towards her daughter who was pacing the hallway.

"Mom! You're okay." Kimberly nodded and then glanced at Loki who caught her eyes and then at Taylor who was pulling at a strand of her hair.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you Taylor." The young adult looked at him surprised as he sighed.

"Stark wants you downstairs, see if you can help with the blood." Taylor nodded and walked towards the lift which dinged open revealing a still sore Thor. She felt bad but also marginally proud at having hurt the god as she walked over to the kitchen and grabbed a mug. "You guys want a coffee?" She asked as she turned around and saw Thor reaching for a mug as well. She ducked under his arm and grabbed the coffee, putting her on the opposite side to the kettle.

"Kim, your father's on the television again."

"Oh for gods sake- Thor can you flick the kettle on?- what's it saying now?" Kimberly asked as she walked around the counter tops and towards the sofa leaning over just behind Loki.

 _"_ _Kimberly Foster, please for the sake of those in all of Manhattan, go to meet him."_ It was the same woman that had been on earlier, or at least that's what they thought. She had visibly aged, instead of looking like the 20 something she had been in the first one she now looked as though she were 50. Kim sighed as she stared at the telly, watching the woman age on screen.

"So that's what it does, well that explains why they want me." Kim turned to look at Thor, her eyes drawn by him muttering.

"Kettle, kettle." She sighed and walked over and flicked the kettle on. Thor smiled at her as he put his mug down next to the kettle.

"Kimberly, you say you've been around for over 2 thousand years, how are you so up to date with technology?" Loki asked as he glanced at her over the sofa, he was still struggling with grasping things. Kim laughed lightly as the kettle boiled and she poured her's and Thor's coffee.

"I had it easy, things changed around me. It wasn't like you, it wasn't sudden." She said as she walked over and sat down opposite the Asgardians. She tried not to look at the television, she knew that they were trying to do something about it, but the temptation to walk out of there with no plan was almost too much. She pulled her thoughts from the path they were taking and looked at the picture of her father on the telly.

"Guys, didn't he have green eyes when we saw him?" She asked, turning to Loki and Thor. Loki nodded, he had seen him before the fight so he would know. Thor shrugged, though he nodded slightly. "Okay, next question, is it just me or are his eyes brown in the picture?" Loki and Thor looked closer at the slightly pixilated image on the screen.

"Now that you mention it-"

"They do appear to be brown."

"That's what I thought- oh. Oh." Kimberly suddenly stood up, after putting her coffee down, and disappeared into her room. She came back with a small note book and pen placed behind her ear. The 2 Asgardians watched her curiously. "What?" She sat back down and took the pen from behind her ear. Her hand moved right to left before she cursed and ripped the page out. "English Kim, no one else speaks Arabic." She gently hit the heel of her hand against her head and started writing the other way. She raised the back of her hand so that she didn't smudge as she wrote. It was futile.

"What are you writing?" Loki leant forward and tried to read over her shoulder. She raised a hand and flicked him on the nose, not even looking up from the paper. Loki leant back and glared at her before turning to the television.

"I need to see Stark." She stood up, stuck the pen back behind her ear, and grabbed her coffee taking a sip.

"He's busy trying to -"

"This could help. I figured something out." She turned and started towards the lift. Loki let it drop when he realised that if she was going to Stark he would find out later.

"Why did you hit me?" Kim looked over at Loki and raised and eyebrow before her green eyes widened.

"Oh. I'm so sorry, I was- thinking. My brain too fast to talk, you were distracting me. Sorry." The lift door closed between them and Loki turned to look at his brother who was sipping his coffee with a smug grin on his face.

"Did she hurt you brother?" Loki sat down and crossed his legs, trying not to show the anger he felt towards his brother. He sighed and looked at the television, at the man that was Kimberly's father, and wondered how long until he could throttle his brother and have it only class as sibling rivalry.

"No she didn't." Thor laughed and put his mug down.

"I never said physically, brother."

"Well, she didn't do that either."

"Pride maybe?" Thor smiled at him.

"Yes, lets bait the only person in this room who has got close enough to destroying the world that they actually realised it was a bad idea. Shall we? Yes. Lets poke the god with inferiority issues and make him feel more so."

"Definitely pride." Loki stood up and started towards the lift when it dinged open, revealing Taylor and Kimberly.

"You 2 weren't fighting were you?" Taylor asked as she walked out past Loki, smiling at Thor.

"They better not have been, I'm not sure Stark can afford to remodel again. Get suited and booted, we're leaving." Kim walked into her room and pulled on her hoodie.

"Tony has a plan."


	7. A Stupid Plan

"This is a stupid plan." Natasha said as she glared out of the car window.

"I don't like letting her go in there alone." Clint crossed his arms and glared at Tony, whose plan it was.

"For once I actually agree with your lot. It's a stupid plan." They all turned to look at Loki who turned to look out the window. Stark raised an eyebrow and whistled.

"That bad huh?" a chorus of yes sounded in the back of the minivan that they had acquired. "Well if were to be honest I didn't want to send her in after her father with no backup. Its the only thing that she would agree to." He braked suddenly as they caught up with her as she parked her small car and got out.

"Now we wait." Steve said as he put his feet up on the dash. They had sent her in with a tracker on her car and an emergency button that Tony had created that was linked to the car so that they would know if she was in trouble.

Kim stepped into the old building, he hadn't said where to meet him but she knew that he would be here. It was an old laboratory in uptown Manhattan, the same laboratory that had put her off the place for the rest of her life. She took a breath through gritted teeth and pushed through the door. Eyes, red and brown, turned to face her as she stepped inside a cold glare firmly set.

"Where is he?" there were only 30 or so in the room, he'd left his troops scattered, one of them had a stretcher in his ear and an eerily familiar sense to him.

"Oi boss, she showed up." A man with sandy blonde hair turned to face her. She hadn't seen him properly for nearly 80 years but the first thing she noticed was how the years had affected him. His wrinkles cut deeper than the photo that they had shown earlier suggested, there was more grey in his hair than last time, and his eyes had changed from brown to green.

"You're looking good for 2026. Check her!" Two of his men stepped forwards and started going through her pockets and she let out a sigh of relief when they didn't find the small button hidden under her glove.

"I have to say that you look like shit." She stepped forwards and he smirked, his green eyes lighting up. "I mean, you're dying. Last I saw you your eyes were brown." His smirk vanished, replaced by an almost evil smile.

"Not for long. Now, tell me, did you enjoy your life? I want to know before I kill you." He grabbed her wrist and she flinched away from him, his breath smell like death, as he dragged her.

"Now you care? What about when you married me off to a man 3 times my age? What about when you drained me of almost all of my blood the last time we met? Or have you forgotten that we have seen each other since I was born?" He chained her to a table by her wrist and as he reached to grab the other she pressed the button. "I made friends, that's one thing you didn't know about already. Very strong friends." He grabbed her and chained her down. His green eyes met hers and he chuckled.

"And what are these friends going to do? Save you?" He turned and grabbed a tube with a needle attached and stuck it into her arm, beyond caring if it hit a vein or an artery.

"More likely they'll free me, so that I can kick your ass." She smirked up at her father though fear was clearly written in every line of her features. He smiled down at her.

"Well their going to be too late." He grabbed up a walkie- talkie and held it to his mouth, looking her in the eye as he spoke. "Fire at will."

"What did Will ever do to you?" The door opened and a smirking Stark stood behind it.

"Dad meet my friends." she leant forwards as Cap sent his shield between her and the table, cutting the chains, and kicked him where it hurt. He stumbled backwards clutching his crotch as the Cap and Loki made it to her. The others had been caught in the fight that had kicked off the second they had entered the room. She rubbed her wrists as she stood up, turning on the spot, looking for her friends, for her daughter who had demanded they let her along.

"Are you alright?" the Cap asked as she reached for the dagger she had taken from he armoury. If she relied on her weapons stored in the temporary pocket she would exhaust herself and create her own weakness. She could work with a dagger.

"Don't let the bullets touch you, if they do you're dead." she pulled the tube out of her arm and pulled her hoodie sleeve down to her elbow. She'd been distracted by her friends that she hadn't seen her father get up and run towards the other side of the floor. Loki did, he ran towards him only for him to get shot. Kim's eyes followed him but she didn't realise what was happening until it was too late to do anything about it.

A curse slipped off of her tongue as she ran forwards, after him, but the Cap grabbed her arm. She stopped and was caught in the shoulder by a stray bullet of Nat's, wincing she pulled free of Steve and sprinted. She tried to ignore the sudden radio static that buzzed in her ears as she ran, dodging her father's soldiers and kicking and stabbing if she had to, to Loki's side.

"You are bleeding." She looked him up and down for the small dart like bullet and found it embedded in his right shoulder. His brows furrowed when her hands hovered over it, jaw clenching slightly when she touched the skin. Her hands ghosted over it before she decided it was best to leave it in.

"It's already in your system, I need to beat it to your heart." He visibly tensed, head tilting backwards slightly, as she cut away the clothes preventing her from getting to his chest.

"I think you may have already, I am not sure. However I think it may be too late." She locked eyes with him.

"No, don't say that now. Both of those things are never to be said in the middle of a fight." He smirked thought it turned into a pained hiss as she cut into his chest with her knife. Blood beaded at the blade and she tutted at the dark veins and arteries creeping down from his shoulder. A pained moan escaped him as she slipped her fingers into the wound. His back arched and she frowned, reaching for her hand with the blade, cutting her palm.

Her blood dripped onto his chest, her blood a different colour to his, as she tried to straddle him.

"Calm down, Loki. I need you to understand, I need to mix my blood with yours so that you can fight it off. I'm sorry." She squeezed her bloodied hand inside his chest and he gasped. Her blood fused with his own and his veins started to clear as she pulled her hand out. The wound closed almost instantly as her blood took over and started to heal all that wasn't as it should be. She looked around and only then realised that Steve had followed her and was protecting them with his shield.

"I think your father wants to talk with you." Steve struggled to meet her eyes, his kept on flicking over his shield, as he spoke. Kim looked around and saw her father coming slowly towards her, a foreign blade in his hand. She stood up and offered Loki a hand up. He accepted and watched her in a new found awe as her blood pulsed through his veins, it was only temporary but he finally felt the pain she felt every waking moment. If that was only a fraction he was amazed how she wasn't driven mad, then again there was nothing to prove that she hadn't been.

"Give me a gun." She called out to Natasha who unclipped one from her side and handed it to her as she passed. As she walked towards her father his forces split like the red sea supposedly had. She cocked the gun and flicked the safety off and aimed it at her fathers head.

"We can stop this fight now." He span the blade in his hand as he circled her. The blade was long and purple, and the way he handled it suggested that he was scared of the weapon in his hands.

"Stopping this fight would damn near kill me, but you wouldn't be satisfied. You would come back after my blood again and again and do whatever you had to to get it. It's the only thing that's keeping you alive, or at least it was. It's either ran out or gone off by now, that's why you want me." She replied as his eyes widened. She had known for a while, she'd figured out earlier.

"Okay, you're right. But would you be able to stop me?" He jumped at her and she dodged just barely. He smirked as it grazed her skin. "Do you know what this is? It's Zentark steel, highly toxic to our kind. It holds the same properties as the darts we're firing at you and your friends. Your right arm is probably starting to feel numb already." She cursed as her arm became useless. "We acquired them as war trophies, we have 2 in total on our planet, which you'll never get to see." She hadn't heard hem behind her but she did now. She span around and grabbed their wrist as the blade her father was holding plunged into her back, through the tissue near heart.

Loki, Cap, and Natasha noticed this and all jumped forwards as they fought heir way through the remnants of his men. Her father smiled at her as he kicked her out of the window, the light from her eyes vanishing. Loki was the closest but Cap reached them first, Steve kicked her fathers legs out from under him as Loki jumped after her, knowing that she would die if she hit the floor and knowing that he wouldn't. He heard the gunshot but he didn't process it until he caught up with her and turned them so that he would land on his back. They had shot her father. The radio buzz turned off and he saw Steve at the window before he hit the floor and blacked out.


	8. PTSD

She was aware of the pain everywhere. It wasn't the pain she was used to, it was too sharp and sudden to be her morning pain. The pain was focussed on the bullet wound on her shoulder and the base of her spine. It was less like a knife and more like a thousand pinpricks at once. The pain almost made her black out again.

Clenching her hands made it worse but it was easier to focus on pulling herself from the blackness that was intent on claiming her. The first thing she was aware of other than pain was a blinding light directly above her. Her whole body tensed as she put 2 and 2 together and reached for the tubing and needles in her arm. She pulled them out and the machine flat lined, her eyes snapping back and forth as she sat up and swung her legs to the side. Her legs felt heavy and light at the same time, she realised why when she put her weight on them.

Her knees buckled and she fell to the floor. She looked down at them blankly as she pinched them, trying to feel them. She willed them to move.

"Come on." her voice was hoarse as she placed her hands on the floor and pushed up. She cried as it dawned on her, the fall had cost her her legs. "Please, you're my legs. Work dammit!" Nothing happened other than her body aching from the fall to the floor. "Please. I need to get out of here." A doctor entered the room and looked at the bed then at her.

"You had us worried there-" Her green eyes cut him off as he walked over to her.

"Get out" she was the calm type of angry. He pulled her up and she pulled her arm free of him and hit him in the face with her elbow. "I said get out!" he grabbed her again and got a hit in the gut for it.

"I suggest you let her go, she may not have her legs but she can certainly hurt you without them." She froze as the familiar voice neared her and the owner picked her up and placed her back on the bed.

"Loki?" The doctor took his leave, almost walking into Nick on the way out. Loki looked her up and down and it was only then that she realised how much of her body was bandaged.

"You look like you've been through hell." She looked down at her legs as she heard Nick curse.

"Well I was thrown from a window, and stabbed." Kimberly looked up at him and noticed just how ill he looked.

"I know, I caught you." Her eyes widened as he smiled lopsidedly.

"Tony will be here soon." Nick called from the other side of the room. Kim glanced at him but she was in a world of her own. _Loki had caught her_. She glared up at him and straightened her back.

"If this is some warped attempt to get redemption-"

"It's not, that I can promise you, Kimberly. I just didn't want you to die like that. Besides, someone else would have tried, I was just closer." She sighed and leant forwards as he moved closer to catch her. She was cool to touch. His hands rested on her back and she flinched in pain.

"Ow." He moved his hand as she started to laugh as she realised how much it actually hurt to be wounded. "How long was I out? How is everyone?" Kim looked up at Loki as she straightened up, wincing and hissing from pain.

"We're fine, better that you. Afternoon sleeping beauty." The door opened and Stark smiled at her, though he stepped aside and let in Taylor who had a heavily bandaged arm.

"Tay, you're hurt." Her daughter laughed and sat down next to her on the bed, ruffling her mothers hair as Tony reached into a bag he had brought with him. The bed shifted slightly and Kim turned to see Loki sitting down.

"I'm fine."

"How did you know I was going to ask that? Also, no you're not." Taylor got up off the bed and held the door open for Nat as she moved in on crutches. Kim heard Steve thank her as he held open the other door.

"I could see you thinking it. Besides it is nothing. The blood you gave me didn't tackle all of it, but Stark gave me the antidote when I woke up a couple of days ago, its still kicking in." At this she reached over and pulled his hospital gown down over his shoulder and looked at the still dark veins.

"How long was I out then?" Her body went still when she saw what was in Stark's hand. Slowly she reached her hands for the crooks of her elbows as memory over took rational thought. The ceiling became rock and she brought her hands up to her ears to cover the sound of the machinery that was taking her blood. She squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to block out the light and the men looming over her-

"Kim, hey Kim, can you hear me?" Steve placed his right hand on her hand, drawing her attention. She nodded and slowly opened her eyes. "Shall we play a game?" again she nodded. "What is your name?" She squeezed her eyes shut and thought for a second.

"Kimberly Anna Maria Foster."

"What is your daughter's name?" Her daughter watched intently as Steve talked her out of her nightmare.

"Taylor Foster, she has no middle name."

"How old are you?" everyone was watching now, though they weren't surprised that Steve knew how to deal with PTSD.

"2026"

"How old is your- is Taylor?"

"22. Her birthday was 2 months ago." Her breathing had started to slow.

"What year is it?"

"20- 2015" Steve looked up at Tony who nodded.

"Who is in the room with you?" This was going to be the hardest question.

"The scien- no." She opened her eyes and looked at him. "You, Stark, Cupcake," Fury sighed. "Nat, Loki, and Taylor." She took a shaky breath and sat up straighter. "Thank you." Steve stood up and smiled.

"No problem. So that you know, the syringe has the antidote in. We've already given you one but this one should help with your legs." She nodded and went to roll up her sleeve, only to realise that she was wearing a flimsy hospital gown. Stark stepped forwards and prepped her arm.

"You gave us quite a scare, you were out for almost a week."

"A week?" she whistled in awe as he put the needle in. She winced at the sudden pain.

"Sorry, hard to find a spot that's not scar tissue. There you go. You should be able to jump back to before the fall but not before then." She smiled as her cells heated up and she jumped back to before she hit the ground.

"How bad did you all get it? How long were you in here?"

"Fractured wrist, less then 5 hours." Steve smiled and lifted his left wrist.

"I think you can see mine, I was here over night. Only because it was already dark when we got here." Natasha grinned as she lifted her leg from the footstool she had acquired.

"Couple of bruised ribs, I didn't even come here. Jarvis dealt with them." Kimberly rolled her eyes.

"Bullet to the shoulder and a few fractured ribs, but you sorted most of them. I've been here a couple of nights, I was only discharged this morning."

"I fractured my wrist as well, and broke my finger. I was here for as long as Steve." Taylor smiled as her mother got up and hugged her.

"I told you it was stupid to go with them." She was still unsteady on her legs and feeling a bit queasy but she was glad for the shot of antidote Stark had given her.

"I'm fine mom. Hey, as a reward for winning, why don't we go clubbing? Get Steve back in the game?"

"If we're setting Steve up I'm in." Natasha called, a evil smile gracing her features.

"Nope."

"Oh I think it sounds like a great plan."


	9. A Good Night

Getting into the club was the most entertaining thing that Natasha had ever seen, if her laughter was anything to go by. This was mainly due to the fact that 4 of them didn't have in date identification.

"The Avengers, Earth's mightiest. You can go through." They all smiled and smirked, some, cough Tony cough, even clapped the man on the back as they passed. "Hey, ombre and Skinny, I didn't say you could go through." Kimberly stopped and sighed as Loki turned around.

"Did he mean me?" Kimberly nodded started to walk back to the bouncer.

"Is there a problem sir?" She knew that there was.

"Yeah, I'm gonna need some ID before I let you in, you got any, ombre?" Kim smiled.

"Ah, well there's the problem, I don't have any that you'll believe." Kim blanched as her knees gave way and she grabbed onto Loki to support herself.

"Well, then I will have ask you to leave-"

"No, you don't understand, we're both over 21, by a lot. That's the problem." Loki pulled her into a better standing position and Natasha appeared at the door, a smirk on her face.

"Scuse me, but their both Avengers, their with us." Nat was leaning heavily on her crutch as she spoke. The man eyed them both suspiciously before letting them pass. Kim pulled herself standing and walked with Natasha to the others, who had claimed a table to themselves.

"Mom." Taylor got up, her midnight blue dress floating around her as she attempted to pull her mother out for a dance. "What was that about?"

"Didn't believe I was over 21." Taylor snorted as she span her mother around. "Not right now Taylor, my legs are still playing up. Give it a couple of mins and I should be fine." Taylor frowned before looking past her mom and smiling.

"I sense a drinking contest." Kim turned and looked back at their table where Thor was eyeing Tony as they both drank. Kim rolled her eyes as her daughter shouted for 2 more beers, and walked over to the table, patting Tony on the back.

"Good luck Stark." she said as she sat down next to Loki. "Dare I ask whose idea it was?" Loki turned his head to Natasha who was counting out a handful of money Clint had just passed her.

"She bet Barton that she could get Stark to take the bait, as you can see he did. Are you alright?" Kim rubbed her leg and nodded, standing up and stretching when she saw Taylor.

"I believe it's time for our dance." Taylor smiled and pulled her mom away as the music kicked in again. It was an old song, one from before Taylor had been born, and one of her favourites, Funkytown. Kimberly laughed as her daughter span her around, the weight that had been making its home on her shoulders lifting. Her sneakers squeaked on the floor as she span, her red backless dress spinning out with her. She'd been warned against wearing heels, at least for tonight, as she would likely still have problems with her legs. They danced till the end of the song, laughing and almost stepping on each others feet, hair flying everywhere as Taylor had let hers down and it reached her mid back. Gasping for breath but smiling they both went back to the table and grabbed a glass of champagne that Tony had ordered whilst waiting for their next drinks.

"How many are they on now?" Natasha looked up and smiled.

"Tony's on 9, Thor's on 11." Kim whistled and smirked as she sat back down.

"Got some catching up to do Stark." He smiled over the brim of his cup and flipped her the bird. She smirked. "Enjoy the hangover. How many pints can Thor take?" She turned to Loki who had gotten himself a glass of champagne.

"A few more before he starts making stupid eyes at any woman. What is this?" He asked as he held up the glass. Kim smiled as she sipped her own glass.

"It's champagne, don't you like it?" Loki shrugged as Thor put down his glass heavily. 12.

"We don't have it on Asgard, nor do we have what you were doing with Taylor." Her green eyes widened as she put down her glass.

"You don't have dancing?" Loki shook his head. "Well then, guess I'll have to teach you." She stood up and grabbed his arm, pulling him onto the dance floor which was surprisingly empty. But then again it was a Sunday.

"What even is dancing?" He asked as she smiled at the song that the DJ put on.

"It's is a way of expressing your feelings, like writing or drawing. But it's more fun."

"What emotion are you dancing for then?" Kim looked up at him and smiled.

"I don't know, happiness?"

"You are holding back." She laughed slightly, a small breath of air escaping from her mouth.

"Shut up and dance with me, Loki." She placed his hand on her waist, it was a slow song one you could actually dance to, and held his other in her own. "Copy what I do. When I step forwards you step backwards, got it?" He nodded.

"I can't be that hard." She smirked.

"That depends on the music." She stepped with the beat and he stepped backwards. "Also, technically you're supposed to be leading me, but you don't know how yet. You can also move forwards and I backwards. Dancing is really just trying not to step on anyone's feet early on." she said with laughter in her voice. Loki smiled slightly and stepped forwards, Kim stepped backwards as she said she would. She noticed over Loki's shoulder that Thor was starting to, finally, look tipsy. Stark on the other hand was flat out drunk, she doubted that he could even taste the alcohol anymore. With a smile she turned back to Loki who raised an eyebrow.

"What, is my dancing that bad that it's laughable?" She laughed at his concern.

"No, your brothers just finally gotten drunk and Stark is thoroughly smashed." Loki looked over his shoulder and laughed slightly. Kim stopped moving and jumped up and down slightly.

"What?" She grinned at him as he continued dancing with her.

"You laughed, you've never done that before. Nat you owe me $10." Loki raised an eyebrow at her when Nat cursed in Russian. "I bet I could get you to laugh, I did." He rolled his eyes at her. "You've changed since then, you know. Even a couple of days ago you and Thor were still arguing and hating each other in general."

"I never hated him-"

"Besides the point. You've changed. You never would have laughed at something so trivial as Thor being tipsy. You probably wouldn't have even smiled. You have changed so much since I met you." He span her around, copying the move that Taylor had done earlier.

"Have I changed enough to ask you something?"

"You just did. Sure go ahead." Her eyes glittered with laughter.

"If it had been you, would you have killed him?" She looked up at him and furrowed her brows.

"It wasn't my choice. It never would've been anyway, it would have been either the Cap's or Natasha's." She shook her head as she saw Taylor and Clint dancing as friends. Pete wasn't there, they hadn't had a chance to pick him up on the way.

"Would you have been able to though?"

"I don't know. He was my father. He raised me after my mother died during labour, sure he married me off to the highest ranking man and tortured me and damn near killed me. But I'm not sure I would have been able to. Besides my choice was earlier."

"You had a choice?" Kimberly smiled at his question.

"We all did. Nick's was whether or not to call me at stupid o' clock. Stark's was whether or not to trust me enough to stay in the building. Bruce's was whether or not to out me as a mutant, which I'm technically not as I'm half alien. Steve's was whether or not to listen to me. Your brother's was if I should go after you myself. Nat's was whether or not to knock me out. Clint's was if he could trust you. Yours was jumping after me. Mine was before Clint made his choice. Mine was letting you out of that room to help us. That was my choice." Loki's eyes widened as she smiled up at him.

"How did you know that it was the right thing to do, letting me out?" She let out a breathy laugh and shook her head.

"Honestly? No, I didn't. But you had shown me things that already hinted that you had changed from then. And you genuinely seemed worried about me. Now, shut up and dance." She took his hand again and span around him, making him turn after her. He pulled her closer with the hand on her hip and she staggered slightly.

"Are you alright?" He looked down at her and she nodded though she soon turned them towards the table where they both sat down as a shout went out.

"Tony's out Thor wins!" It was Na, who had only started it because she couldn't dance because of her leg.

"How many in the end?" Kim asked as she saw the exchange of money.

"Lady Kimberly, I had 14 I believe and-" Loki sighed as his brother went white.

"It seems that brother dear has reached his limit as well. Perhaps we should go back to the tower." He suggested as Nick came over with Taylor who had swapped friends.

"That sounds like a good idea." Nick said as he sat down. "How many did it take anyway?" Natasha smirked.

"Thor thinks he had 14, but in reality he didn't finish it so only 13. Tony had 12. I almost pity them, I don't think Tony realised that it was all going on his tab." Kim laughed outright as Stark, somehow still conscious, swore before being pulled back under.

"What time even is it?" Taylor asked as she stood up and started to the bar with the empty glasses, hovering at the table to wait for the answer.

"Just past 12. Why?" She let out a string of curses and Kim choked on her drink as she realised the exact same thing.

"I have a paper due tomorrow, shit." Kim got up and put her glass down, walking after her daughter. "Do you reckon they'll give me an extension?" She turned to the bar and placed the glasses down, smiling thanks to the wait staff.

"In all honesty? No, this is New York. Come on Loki, you're coming with us, you've got nowhere to stay and we have a spare room." She waved goodbye to the others as Natasha wolf whistled and yelled something along the lines of;

"I may not have gotten Steve together with someone but I will claim this one." She rolled her eyes as she pulled her car keys out of the purse at her side.

"How much coffee you gonna need this time?" She asked as they passed the bouncer and smiled.

"Sorry 'bout earlier ombre, skinny." She waved him off and continued to her car, chucking the keys to Taylor.

"You're driving, I can't feel my legs." As if to prove her point they gave way underneath her and she grabbed the railing on top of the mini and pulled herself up. She let go with one hand and pulled the door open and jumped in, pulling her legs in after her. Closing the door she ran her hands up and down her legs, as though trying to warm them, and pinched them. She sighed at the pain that she was met with as feeling started to return.

"You alright mom?" Taylor asked as she glanced in the rear-view mirror, grey eyes worried as Loki opened the door on his side and sat down.

"I'll be fine, you didn't answer the question. How much coffee?" Taylor smirked as she started the car and turned the corner as Thor was pulled out of the club by Steve and Nick, Clint holding the door open for Nat who waved at them.

"Well, I'm only in the 3 paragraph of a 4000 word essay." Kim rolled her eyes.

"Wow Tay, great time management there. So a lot is the answer."

"What is an essay?" Loki asked, looking between the 2 women.

"Something you don't have to worry abut, it's a thing that is stupid." Taylor answered as she drove down the street, a smirk plastered on her face when she pulled up outside the house.

It was small, 2 storeys above ground, in comparison to the Avengers tower, and three times as cluttered. However, it was obvious it was a home even from the outside. Taylor unlocked the door as Kim got out of the car, hand on the top to balance her.

"I'll make the coffee, you get started." She gestured as Taylor started up the stairs to her room, ditching her shoes halfway up. Kim took her shoes off and placed them at the door as Loki stepped inside. "Uh uh, shoes." She smiled at him, holding the spoon she had been using for the coffee out at him. He took them off and looked around the room as she turned a small radio in the kitchen on. It was an average sized room, with cream carpet and wood floorboards extending into the kitchen. There were pictures of her and Taylor on almost every visible surface. One caught his eye in particular. It was taken outside the house he was in, though it looked almost empty. Taylor looked about 9 with her hair pulled into a bun though a few corkscrew of hair had escaped.

"That was taken the day we moved in, it was our first house, still is. Ah." the kettle popped and she turned back and went to pour the coffee as Taylor came back down the stairs. She'd gotten changed into a long sleeved top and a pair of checked shorts, and was carrying her laptop with a pair of glasses on her head. "Kettle's just boiled, I'm gonna get changed. C'mon Loki, I'll show you your room" She started up the stairs and turned halfway up to make sure that he was indeed following her.

"Your house is very- nice. I like it here, it feels safe." Kim looked over her shoulder at him and smiled as she opened a door to a nearly empty room.

"It's meant to, it's not a home otherwise." Loki nodded as she stepped into the room and reached into a nearly empty wardrobe. "This is your room, the sheets were changed, um- damn where is it- they were changed last week. Ah here they are." She handed him a pyjama set in grey and green. "Pyjama's, they should fit. Anyway, I need to get changed, I'm next door if you need me." She closed the door and went to her room to get changed.

When she was changed she went downstairs to check on Taylor who was busy typing. She heard her come down the stairs and turned to look up at her, smiling slightly.

"Good coffee."

"That better be done by 3 okay, you can do that?" Taylor nodded and drank some more coffee. "Then goodnight." She kissed her her daughters head and turned to go back up the stairs. Most children would find it odd that their parents went to bed before them, Taylor as used to it as her mother would undoubtedly wake up before humane hours.

"You dressed?" she asked as she knocked on Loki's door.

"Wha- oh yeah." She pushed the door open and smiled at him as he put a book down.

"Where did you get the book?"

"Book shelf at the top of the stairs."

"Ah, fair enough. I was just gonna say that we can go shopping to get you some clothes tomorrow if you want."

"I don't need knew clothes, you've already given me these."

"Temporarily, and you can't just walk around in armour all the time. Remember I can see through your illusions." He looked about to say something but closed his mouth. "Its that, and then we can go bug the ones with hangovers after. Sound like a deal?" He smiled as she leant against the door.

"Sounds like fun." He went to pick up the book again but she stepped inside.

"Also, about what you said when you took the bullet for me, I didn't realise that you had actually turned into me to draw their attention. But that's besides the point, I was gonna say that I kinda like you to. Maybe."

"Maybe?" He sat up straighter as she walked towards him, her shorts showing more of her leg than he had seen before.

"You're the one that said I am not sure." She smirked, though she was blushing, as she sat down next to him. "Maybe this can help us both decide." She pressed a kiss against his lips lightly, her green eyes closing, as his hands moved to her hips so that he could pull her closer to him as he kissed her back.

"I think I just decided." he said out of breath as he lost balance and fell back onto the bed. Kimberly let out a squeak and started to laugh as she rested her forehead against Loki's before she got up.

"I should go to bed, if I am to get any sleep." She started to the door before turning to look at him one last time. "Good night Loki." then she closed the door.

"Definitely a good night."


	10. Home

**AN: As you can probably tell this is drawing to an end. There will likely only be one or two more chapters. The last chapter was largely based around the song 'Shut up and Dance' by walk the moon. Any way, I was considering doing another Avengers story which would mainly involve Cap, Thor, and Loki attempting to get used to the modern world. I hope you have enjoyed this as I started it before I had really started to watch the Avengers films. Sorry for all the stupid spelling mistakes, mainly involving t because the letter doesn't work half the time. Enjoy :)**

He woke up to the sound of light footsteps going down the stairs. Stretching he knocked the book he had been looking through onto the floor and got up. Opening the door he followed the person and was almost blinded by the light turning on as Kimberly came out of the kitchen to get the mug Taylor had used last night.

"Morning Loki." Her voice was husky and she brought her hand to her mouth and coughed. Loki couldn't help but smile at her sleep messed look.

"Morning. Do you normally get up this early?"

"This is late for me. Are you alright?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" he moved to sit down on the sofa.

"The walls are fairly thin, I heard you talking in your sleep. Something like ' I'm sorry Frigga.' Who was she?" She put the mug in the sink and sat next to Loki on the sofa.

"She was my mother, and I'm the reason she died." Loki hung his head, it was something that hadn't meant to happen. It wasn't part of his plan. Kim noticed his change in mood and gently clasped his shoulders, wrapping her arms around him slowly.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned it." He rested his head on her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her waist, causing her to jump slightly as his fingers touched skin. "That tickles." she said as he moved his hands under her shirt in an attempt to tickle her more. She scrunched up her noes and let out a small laugh as he tickled her.

The kettle popped off and they both jumped, Kim almost falling off the sofa. She laughed and got up, walking to the kitchen.

"Do you want a tea, Loki?" she asked as she poured the boiling hot water into her mug. Loki thought then nodded and she grabbed a mug and popped a teabag inside before pouring the water in. Squishing the teabag in the cup as she walked over, she handed a mug to Loki as she sat down. "What book were you reading yesterday?" she asked as she took a sip, Loki smiled slightly.

"It was a picture book." Kim furrowed her eyebrows.

"I don't have any picture bo- oh. You meant a photo album. Which one?" Loki put his tea down and got up.

"I will go and get it, I don't know if there is an order or not." Kimberly watched him leave as the clock ticked over to 5 in the morning. He came back down with a fairly small, ring bound, book in his hands as she placed her tea down and accepted the book.

"This is the first one. It's mainly photos of Tay, it also has her birth certificate in and my adoption papers in. Where did you get to?" she held the book for him to take and he flicked back to the page he had stopped on. It had 5 photos on and a letter from her school. Kim snorted when she remembered the letter.

"I was reading the letter, I don't quite understand why they needed to send a letter or what it was about." A wicked smile was curling up her mouth. She remembered the letter all too well.

"It was Tay's first day at school, that's what the photo's are of, and at the time I was working the afternoon shift at the hospital. Tay got into a fight, some kid was picking on a girl who had her hair in cornrows and said that she looked like a slave so she had to act like one, Tay got up and punched him in the face without saying a word. Of course the teacher only saw that and immediately sent her to the principle, the person who runs the school, where they tried to contact me. Because your not allowed to have phones on in the hospital I couldn't answer it so instead they sent her home with a letter. This one." Kim gestured to the letter with a smile. The letter read; meet the principle after school and bring Taylor.

"That explains the letter at least, if they couldn't contact you via your phone a letter should reach you."

"Exactly. So when I went to pick her up she handed me the letter immediately and I read it. Not knowing what this was about I asked Tay and she told me what it was about. I was angry to say the least, even angrier when they didn't think I was her mother. You see, I am originally from Lebanon which is still called Lebanon, but her family came from Gabon in Africa, so the skin colour difference is plain to see. They got annoyed at me and told me that they wanted to see her mother, Kimberly Foster, not her nanny, they didn't realise that I had adopted her and that she was my daughter. When I told them that I was Kimberly Foster they back tracked and apologised before telling me that Taylor had punched another student. I already knew this and so I told them what Tay had told me which they refuted.. I then told them that I wouldn't have adopted a child who lies, and that I would take them to court on denying human rights if they attempted to suspend her on the first day." She let out a laugh and shook her head. "They looked at me like a bunch of dead fish before they all started to apologise and say that they hadn't fully understood the situation and that they would keep a closer eye on the boy, who was a white 8 year old who seemed to think he owned everything he saw. He looked better with the bloody nose. On the way out I high five Tay and we had ice cream."

"Going through this makes a lot more sense with someone to tell the story." Loki stated as he sipped his tea. Kim laughed and picked up her own mug before checking the time, 5 past 5. Loki was a good listener.

"I can tell you other stories if you want to listen. After breakfast though, I require food." She got up and walked towards the kitchen, grabbing a bowl from one of the cupboards along with a box of Cheerios.

"That sounds like a plan. How long do we have until you take me to get clothes?" he asked as he stood up and walked towards her, putting his mug down in the sink, and hugged her from behind. She stiffened before relaxing and putting down the box of cereal, turning around to face him, noses touching.

"Well it doesn't open until 7 so I can tell you more if you want, that or we can go and help or hinder the hungover people. What do you want to do?" Loki smiled, almost evilly, as he leant in ever so slightly.

"I want to kiss you, I want to see your world with you. I- I want to be with you. But hindering their hangovers sound like fun as well." She smiled up at him.

"Well, we can do 2 of those things today, maybe 3. I think you can guess which 3, god of mischief." He closed the gap and pressed his lips against hers, letting his hands wrap around her waist. She gasped as her legs gave out, still shaky from the fall, and he picked her up and pushed her cereal bowl to the side so she could sit where it was. Her hands made their way up to his hair and tangled in it. He moaned against her mouth as she tugged on it and pulled him closer only to move back and pull herself from him. "We probably shouldn't."

"Why not? We have hou-"

"I would say get a room, but I fear that that is the problem, what with them being separate." the bottom stair creaked and Taylor entered the room. They didn't even pretend to not have been kissing. "Morning mom, Mischief." She walked past them and saw Kimberly's bowl of cereal. "Oh Cheerios." she picked up the bowl and her mother caught her hand.

"That''s mine, Tay. Make your own." she said as she jumped off of the counter and grabbed the milk from the fridge. Taylor smiled and turned back to a cupboard and reached up to grab a bowl with pale pink stripes.

"Fine then." she stuck her tongue out as she grabbed the box of cereal and poured it into her bowl, walking around Loki who was stood in the middle of the kitchen not knowing what to do.

"Pop tart?" Kim offered him as she grabbed a spoon from the cutlery draw. He raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Isn't that the thing that Thor is addicted to?" She smiled as she ate her cereal. A small noise caught her attention and startled Loki as a small black cat made its way through the window.

"Magik!" Taylor launched herself at the cat after putting her bowl down. The cat jumped inside the house and Taylor picked her cat up and span around with him, almost walking into Loki who was staring at their cat with wide eyes.

"What is that?" he pointed at their cat as he walked towards Kimberly.

"He is a cat, our pet." Taylor said as she stepped towards him again and held Magik in front of Loki. Magik scratched him. Loki stepped backwards and Taylor span him closer to her face and pouted. "No Magik. Mischief is our friend, you don't claw him."

"My name is not Mischief." Kimberly smiled and finished her cereal before grabbing the cat from her daughter so that she could eat her breakfast.

"What time are you starting today?" she asked as she put the cat down before turning to see Loki glaring at the cat. She swatted his shoulder as she walked past and put her bowl in the sink.

"I start at 7 today." Taylor replied around a mouthful of cereal. Magik meowed and Kimberly sighed as she walked towards the cat's bowl and grabbed it.

"That's early for you. Loki can you grab the cat food from the cupboards. Yep that one." Loki opened the cupboard and handed her the cat food.

"I have something important to say." Loki said as he handed her the food. Kimberly looked over her shoulder at him as Taylor's spoon stilled halfway to her mouth.

"Can it wait until Taylor's finished eating?" She turned back to the food and stirred it and then moved away from the counter and gave Magik his food.

"No, it can not. You see as soon as Thor has woken up, he will take me back to Asgard to finish out my sentence." Taylor nearly chocked on her breakfast and Kim whirled on him.

"What!?"

"I helped brother do something and avoided my sentence, I still have 10 years to do at most. In solitary." Taylor put her bowl down and hugged him.

"It was nice knowing you Mischief." Loki stiffened, he hadn't been hugged by Taylor before.

"10 years in solitary, that'll break you. It sure as hell broke me. I- can you still send an illusion down, can we still talk?" Loki shook his head.

"I am not sure if I could send one so far down. But yes I can hear through illusions so in theory we could still talk." Kimberly ran her hands through her hair as she started to pace.

"Theory isn't practise. It's not good enough, I'm coming with you." she stopped and turned to face him though he could tell that she felt incredibly guilty.

"What about Taylor? She needs you."

"She's 22. She hasn't needed me for a long time"

"She's also still in the room, gods guys talking about me like I'm not here. Do it mom."

"But-"

"As you said, I'm 22 I can live on my own. Besides, when was the last time you had fun?" Taylor put her bowl down and smirked at her mother though it was tinged with sadness. "And here I was, finally getting along with you Mischief."

"Well, I will have to talk to Thor, you are a Midgardian partially and Midgardians's are not allowed on Asgard." She pulled at her hair again and Loki gently grabbed her hand and pulled it away from her hair. "Even if you are not allowed to come I will find you after it is finished, I promise that. Now we should go and get me some clothes." He said to her, his hands either side of her face. She nodded and he pressed a kiss to her forehead and went upstairs to get changed.

"You'll stay here won't you. The house is mine and by right you own it once I leave-"

"I'll stay mom, don't worry. Just- just look after him, he's worse than he looks."

"I know." Kimberly turned and started back up the stairs to get dressed.


	11. 10 Years

**AN: I have 3 things to say 1) This is super late because I was on holiday on Cornwall with no WiFi 2)this is also super long, like omg its so long. 3) This is the second to last chapter!**

 **Enjoy**

After buying several items of clothing they both went to the Avengers tower.

"Hello Jarvis. How is everyone?" Kimberly asked the AI as they entered. Jarvis's voice echoed in the room.

"Hello Miss Kimberly, Sir Loki. I believe that they are all hungover from the party you had last night. Natasha is the only one awake." Kimberly smiled at the AI and started towards the lift.

"We'll be going up then Jarvis." She smiled though there was worry written in the smile as the doors opened. Stepping out they saw Nat in the kitchen pouring an almost comatose Clint a coffee. "Afternoon." Clint groaned a reply.

"Stop being so bloody sober." He said as he chugged the coffee.

"Nope, can't. It's called not drinking." Clint stuck his tongue out and went back to his drink.

"You know water would be better. Is everyone else still asleep?" Nat nodded as Loki sat down on the sofa. "I'll wake them up, lemme get them some water first though." Kimberly walked past Nat and Clint and got out 4 glasses and filled them with water, leaving another empty glass on the side for Clint.

Loki's fingers tapped idly on the edge of the sofa as Kimberly entered Tony's room.

"What's up with you?" Natasha asked as Clint glared at him suspiciously. Loki looked at them then sighed.

"Nothing, well. Everything." Natasha looked at him then raised an eyebrow. "As soon as Thor wakes up and sobers up he will take me back to Asgard. I may have to leave her here."

"Why would Thor have to take you back?" Nat asked as she leant against the counter and Clint sat up.

"I still have time to do in solitary." He said, tapping his fingers against the sofa again as she glared at him.

"Have you told her about this? Does she know that you will leave her as soon as she has gotten used to you? Did you know that she was genuinely scared of you and she has started to trust you now? Of all the times to leave-"

"I know. All of that. He told me earlier, that's why we're here. We need to talk to Thor because 10 years in solitary will break him, so I want to go with him." Kimberly said as she stepped out of Tony's room.

"Kimberly. I'll be fine, I have already told you this."

"Don't pull the whole, I'll be fine. You have nightmares about that place, about Frigga, still. You know that I am right."

"What's going on brother?" Thor stumbled into the room at the same time as Tony. Kimberly looked between the brothers before speaking to Tony.

"Tony, you need to have more water. Loki you tell him." Loki nodded and spoke.

"Brother, I know that this doesn't clean my record, I know that I still have time to serve in solitary, but I was wondering-"

"I can't cut your time brother, your punishment was set by Odin."

"I know, I was only going to ask if Kimberly could come with us, she seems to think that I will be better off for it."

"I know you will be better off for it Loki." She called over from the kitchen where she was refilling Tony's glass again.

"She's a midgardian, you know the rules."

"Technically only her mother was a midgardian, her father wasn't of earth." He backtracked as Thor staggered to the kitchen where Kim handed him a glass.

"Is this really what you were going to do about it?" Natasha asked as Kimberly handed the Asgardian his drink of water.

"I suppose you are right." Thor realised how loud he was being and covered his ears as did Tony. Kim gestured for him to quiet down though she was practically bouncing up and down. "But you only get an hour together a day. No more than that." Loki nodded.

"Of course brother. We should be going then." Thor downed his drink and nodded.

"Yes we should, goodbye everyone." everyone that was awake waved at Thor as Kimberly walked quickly towards Natasha.

"See ya in 10 years then." the redhead said as she hugged the other woman.

"Yeah, 10. Record everything and bring me up to date yeah?"

"Oh yeah." Nat grinned as Clint sat up straighter and ruffled Kimberly's hair as she passed them. She had just reached the two brothers when Tony let out a small oh.

"Here. You left this on the first day, I may have tinkered with it." He pulled her phone out of his pocket and threw it at her as she turned around. She reached a hand out and it hit her knuckles and fell to the floor. She pouted and grabbed it before quickly texting Taylor that she was indeed leaving. She got a text back immediately.

 _Don't do anything stupid._ She smiled at the text and rolled her eyes. Thor smiled at her when he put his hand on her shoulder.

"Will Lady Taylor be alright?" Kim nodded at him as a reply. "We shall go outside, Heimdall can not open the Bifrost whilst we are inside." Kimberly nodded and smiled shakily as they left the building. Thor called for Heimdall whilst Loki turned to her.

"Are you nervous?"

"I have only ever lived on this planet and now I am being transported to another that I barely knew existed. Of course I am nervous." Loki looked up as the Bifrost opened and reached for her so that she would be easier to catch at the other end.

"Welcome back Thor, Loki. And who- ah Lady Kaina." She stumbled as the Bifrost let them out and looked up at him, shocked. It vanished quickly when she realised who was speaking.

"You must be Heimdall, the guardian and watcher." He nodded.

"You have changed your name many times but it is always the first that I can see." She nodded slowly as Loki helped her stand straight. "Although I am aware that you go by Kimberly now, I will try to call-"

"It's fine. I don't mind really. I just had to for legal reasons and the fact that normal people can't live for as long as I have." Heimdall nodded and gestured for them to catch up to Thor who hadn't waited for them. Loki gently clasped her hand and led her onto the rainbow bridge.

"Welcome to Asgard." She took in a breath at the sight of the place. The god of mischief smiled at her and pulled her after him. "It is even better from the inside." she just nodded and let him lead her to Thor who had been stopped by Sif.

"- cannot let a midgardian in Asgard."

"She is not from Midgard. She was born and raised there but she is not of Midgard." They both noticed Loki and Kim at the same time and Sif seemed to calm down slightly.

"Fine, but someone will have to look after her."

"I can look after myself." Kimberly said as she pulled her hand free of Loki's. Sif looked her up and down before smiling.

"I'll look after her and show her around. Come with me Lady Kimberly." Kim shook her head at the need to call her Lady and pulled the bag off of her shoulders and handed it to Loki.

"I'll find you tonight, we can talk then." Loki nodded and Kimberly followed Sif into Asgard.

"What is in the bag brother?" Thor asked as he started towards Asgard. Loki pulled the bag over his shoulders and smiled.

"Story books, filled with tales of times long passed and many of childhood fun and promises." Thor looked over his shoulder at his brother who was staring at the bridge.

"She plans on reading them to you doesn't she?" Loki nodded at his brother as he caught up. "Even though you can read them yourself." Loki shook his head.

"She reads them better than I ever could." Thor just nodded and lead Loki down to his cell.

When she came down that night she was wearing a lilac dress, similar to the one Sif had been wearing on the bridge. It was floor length and the sleeves stopped just below her elbow. Her hair was loose and she looked tired.

"How are you finding Asgard?" Loki asked as she walked up to his cell and held her hand just in front of the barrier. He held his up on the other side and smiled down at her.

"It is awesome, however I am finding that I am struggling to not revert back to Arabic since I found out you can understand every language." Loki smirked and shook his head.

"I take it Arabic is one of the midgardian languages." Kimberly nodded and smiled.

"It is the one I grew up speaking, it flows easier than English. Where are you now?" she asked and sat down beside the barrier. Loki sat down next to her on the opposite side and picked up the book from next to him.

"I got to here." He held the book up and showed her a page with a few pictures on and a piece of paper. The first picture was a picture of Taylor with a grin plastered on her face in her school uniform though it was clearly later in the day. She had gone to a private school, a very strict one at that, and thus uniform was mandatory. She had ended up with detention that day. Kim smirked and let out a laugh. "Is it that funny?"

"It is hilarious." Her smile started to hurt her cheeks as she spoke. " Taylor had been set a piece of homework, something like write an essay about oppression, and she just wrote that; I will not write an essay about oppression as I feel oppressed by this. She got detention for it. When I picked her up I had no idea why she was grinning like a good'un until they handed me the homework. I then read it and asked why they would ask a 3rd grader to write about such a serious topic. They had no reply to that other than the fact that it was part of the curriculum. I just told them that maybe they should change the curriculum and left." Loki smiled and put the book down.

"That explains the grin. What is 3rd grade?" Kimberly made as to hit her head but stopped.

"The American school system works in grades, 1st grade is for 6-7 year olds 2nd grade is for 7-8 year olds and 3rd grade for 8-9 year olds. In England it is different, and many other countries as well." Loki nodded.

"It is a way of separating the children into levels of knowledge." Kimberly nodded and smiled.

"More age than knowledge as most kids are thick, but yeah supposedly that's how it is done." she stood up and looked into the cell and the photo book by Loki's side. "Any thing else that you want me to tell you?" Loki turned the page and pointed to a picture with a 9 year old Taylor, hair down with mickey mouse ears on in a red polka dot dress, and Kimberly with longer hair, coming own to her chest in French braids.

"Where was this taken." Kimberly smiled at the memory, somewhat wanly. Loki looked up and noticed the way her eyes went glassy as she looked at the picture. "Is it that bad?" Kimberly looked at him sharply and shook her head then paused and nodded.

"That was taken in Disney world, a theme park. I was almost found out to be a mutant that day. Well that is what they would have assumed. I fell over chasing her and fell down a set of steps to a ride, I should have at least broken my legs. The memory is fun, that day was great overall, but it is tinged with fear." A guard walked towards her and tapped her shoulder.

"Lady Kaina, your time with Loki is up for tonight, you have to leave. I will escort you to your quarters." Kimberly nodded and turned towards Loki, who was standing up, and placed her hand just above the barrier. Loki raised his to meet hers and then she left.

"Sleep my young love, outdoors rain is crying. Mamma your treasure, old bone and stone case. We should not stay awake in dark nights." The voice was coming from the outside corner of his cell. He knew it was Kim's but he had never heard her sing before and the words caught him by surprise. " There is much darkness knows, my mind is heavy. Often I gazed at black sands, burning the green meadow. In the glacier dead lives deep cracks." Her hair had grown since she had entered Asgard, reaching her upper back now, he noticed when he saw her. She was facing his cell though her eyes were closed. "Sleep long, sleep sound, better to wake up later. I will teach you soon, to the sun reaches the horizon. That men love, loose, cry and pine for." She finished the lullaby and he opened his mouth to speak.

"Where did you learn that? Who taught you?" She opened her green eyes, brighter with every day spent in Asgard, and looked at him. Loki knew he was worse off than he had thought he would get to, the place had brought back memories he wanted to suppress. He knew she was right as well. He had long since passed the need for a bath and was in desperate need of a hairbrush.

"I asked Thor if there was anything I could do to help you at night with your nightmares. He said that Frigga had always sung a lullaby but he couldn't remember which so I should ask Sif because Sif would know. Sif taught me." She smiled slightly as Loki rested his head against the pillar in the corner of the cell.

"How have I never heard you sing before?" He turned his head to glance at her. She let out a breathy laugh and turned to face him.

"I only ever sang lullabies, besides I always slip back into my accent when I sing. And my accent is more often than not associated with being uncultured and unintelligent." Her hair fell over her darkening shoulders, being in Asgard had brought her skin back to her natural colouring, and drew Loki's attention to the area at the base of her neck.

" I like your accent, it's you. Would you sing for me when I get out of here?" She smiled and nodded.

"Only if you dance with me." He looked up and locked eyes with her.

"It is a deal." she smiled and turned around to walk out, mint green dress billowing after her.

"How are you finding Asgard Kaina?" Thor asked as he sat down next to her. She had found her way to the secure rooms and was sat next to the purple blade that had been placed there. It had been the safest place for it as there was no way it was being left on earth.

"It is nice, though I have had a few glances thrown my way. Not from being a Midgardian either."

"What have they been doing to you?" Kim sighed and burrowed her head in her knees. She hated feeling weak, though in a place whose sole populous were gods it was hardly surprising.

"One of them pushed me against a wall and tried to kiss me-"

"Even though it is obvious that you and Loki are together?"

"I think that was why. But it was okay, I kneed him in the groin for it. But other than that once, they've just stared at me."

"I shall warn them against doing it. Anyone that touches you without your consent will have to feel my wrath." She laughed and lifted her head form her knees.

"Thanks Thor." He smiled at her and ruffled her hair and got up.

"No one is to touch my brothers friend. Aren't you supposed to be seeing him soon?" Kimberly stood up and nodded.

"I just wanted to see this first, I was just about to go down." Her pale coral dress glided along the floor as she started towards the cells, her hair reacting the same as her dress as it tickled her mid back.

"You are late."

"Like you can actually keep track of time down here. Besides, it was your brother that distracted me." Loki looked up at her from where he lay and glanced her up and down.

"You look far too happy for someone who has just spoken with my brother." She let out a snort and shook her head at him. He smirked at her reaction, most would have seen that as mean and plain old rude but she saw the humour in it. "How are you keeping?"

"Amazingly I had a very similar conversation with Thor. I am fine, especially now that Thor has all bar issued a death threat."

"Do I want to know what happened?" he asked as she sat down.

"Knowing you, probably. Guys were threatening me and being rude in general, they wont be now." She shook her head and dropped the subject.

Her hair had stopped growing he realised as she stood outside his cell. She was telling him about one of the most recent photos in the latest book. Taylor had sent it from England in 2014 where she had been during her gap year. It was a picture from the top of the London eye that she had taken as Big Ben had struck midnight on her first day away from home. Her eyes glittered as she told the story, so lost in her tale that she had stopped paying attention to him.

Her hair reached her waist and it was all a dark brown. She had grown the ombred tips out within the first year and had decided to get them cut off. The colour matched her natural skin colour well. He barely realised when she stumbled, faltered, clasped her knees.

"Are you alright?" She nodded and sat down wincing. He knew that she was lying to cover up her pain. It had been happening a lot, more recently, she had been having troubles walking and had been waving it off as nothing, but Loki could tell.

She attempted to continue with the story but it was hard, the pain was too much. A guard came over and asked if she was alright, if she needed any help. She shook her head but Loki nodded. The guards had gotten used to her stubbornness and had started to take Loki's word if she needed help. The guard helped her up and Loki tried not to see how much she leant on the guard, if he had noticed earlier she might not have been so bad. But he hadn't, he'd been lost in her beauty as she told her story.

"Hello brother." Thor said as he stood outside Loki's cell. Loki looked up and frowned at his brother.

"Where is Kaina?" Thor looked at the floor and shook his head.

"She is unwell." Loki got up off of the floor and walked towards his brother. "She has been bedridden since this morning, unable to move her legs." Loki's eyes widened.

"How-?"

"I do not know how it happened, but other than the fact that she can not move her legs she seems to be fine. I left her with Heimdall looking after her." Loki relaxed at the mention of Heimdall looking after her. "He said he wanted to talk to her anyway."

"How is everyone taking to her anyway?"

"You ask now, after 7 years? Brother, you have lost connection with time, its hardly surprising a your only source of timekeeping has been her." Loki whistled.

"7 years, I didn't think it had been that long." Thor nodded.

"It took 3 years for everyone to get used to her, now she has made friends in almost everyone though there are a few that still don't trust her." Loki nodded and smiled.

"That doesn't surprise me. She is that type of person." Thor smiled and let out a small laugh.

"She is indeed a miracle worker. The first midgardian since Jane to come to Asgard and the first to win your heart." Loki would have protested 5 years ago, but now he knew it to be true.

"Lady Kaina, I wish to ask you something." Kaina attempted to pull herself up and nodded.

"What is it Heimdall?" Heimdall sat down next to her bedside and looked her up and down.

"2021 years ago a girl called out for help from the gods, asking that they kill her. A girl called Kaina. Was that you?" Kaina turned her head and glared at the wall in front of her.

"Kaina was a common name all those years ago, but yes. It was me."

"Why would you ask for something like that?" Her green eyes moved from the wall and held his.

"When I was 12 I was betrothed to a man 3 times my age. I asked for death the day before my marriage because I knew what would happen on our first night together. He would have sex with me, whether I wanted to or not, and wake up the next morning next to a child that was younger than the one he married. I knew it would happen, because by then I already knew I changed in my sleep, so I asked that the gods granted me death so I didn't have to face the beatings that I would receive." She paused and waited for Heimdall to say something. "The gods could do nothing, so I lived. I ran away a month after the wedding, already pregnant with a child I would miscarry, and decided to travel the world on my own."

Heimdall stood up and looked at her with new found respect. He reached for her hand and kissed it.

"I am glad that it was out of our power to kill you, you have brought peace to Loki, something that not even Thor could achieve."

"I didn't do anything, he was already changing." Heimdall shook his head.

"You helped him realise that he was changing. Ah this is for you, it is a present from Thor." He reached for a long cylindrical object that had been badly wrapped.

"It is unlike Thor to give me presents." She started to undo the wrapping and found a staff inside. It was gold with an amethyst embedded in the top.

"We, exclusively Thor, have been noticing that you have been having trouble walking so he had it crafted for you. He thought it would help you move easier." She held it in her hands and felt the weight of it. It was fairly heavy though it balanced well. She smiled up at Heimdall.

"Tell Thor I appreciate the gift." She paused when Heimdall's features turned serious. "Heimdall, what is wrong?"

"I have heard that you have been practising with the gift that was handed to you upon your fathers passing." She gulped. "How many know?"

"Only yourself and Thor. I thought it would be best if I practised as I have seen what it can do. I don't want it to happen unintentionally." Heimdall nodded.

"It is probably best you keep it that way." He said as he turned to leave.

"I was going to. Don't worry."

"Nice cane." Loki smiled as he saw her outside his cell. She had been in bed for the last 2 days and it was the first time she had been down to see him. She twirled the cane as she sat down. "How are you feeling?"

"Better now that I have something to-" Heavy footsteps sounded in the hall as Thor ran down the stairs. "Thor-"

"Asgard is being attacked, Kaina I need to take you up to your quarters." He grabbed her arm and started to pull her up the stairs. Loki stood up and watched them up the stairs.

"Thor, who is attacking?" she asked stumbling after the god.

"I am not sure, Heimdall has only just warned me about it." Kaina pulled her arm free and started towards the Bifrost. "Kaina, where are you going?"

"If Heimdall has only just warned us then there is still time. Come on." Thor shook his head but gave up on trying to take her to her quarters and ran after her.

When they reached the Bifrost they had only just started to cross it. She recognised them from their leader. He had red eyes and a stretcher in his ear. Kaina tapped her cane to the ground and leant on it, her eyes turning toxic green as she did so.

"Stop." Her voice oozed with authority and charisma. Their eyes started to turn white. "You are useless without my father. A lost cause without my bloodline. You were meant to be ruled, without a ruler you are lost." Thor glanced at her as Heimdall lowered his sword.

"Kaina-"

"But I am not a ruler, I have a life and a daughter to look after. I command you to go home, to leave us alone. Leave our realm and Midgard alone. You have a leader, you don't need me. Go." Still white eyed they turned back around and went back the way they came. Kaina stumbled and leant on her cane, her eyes turning back to her normal green. Thor walked towards her, eyes wide in fear, Sif close behind him.

"What did you do?" Sif asked swinging her sword around. Kaina stood up, struggling to get used to her cane.

"I used the gift my father gave to me when he died."

"You sounded like Loki, when he was in Germany." Kaina stiffened and turned to face Thor.

"I what? No-no." She stood up properly and held her cane by the bottom and pointed it at him. "I am not like Loki – I – oh gods. Oh gods." She turned and started back to the cells jogging as fast as she could. "Loki!" She stopped outside his cell, eyes blazing. " I am becoming like you were. I'm ordering people around!"

"Kaina, what happened?" Loki stood up and held his hands in open handedness.

"My people attacked Asgard. They turned and left when I told them to, because I used the same thing my father did on us. I controlled people, my own people." Loki stepped towards her.

"In times of need control is necessary. It is the best thing to have."

"Not forced control. Not what I did to them."

"What you did to them was necessary." She shook her head and ran her hand through her hair.

"No, what I did was- was wrong." Loki shook his head. There was no getting her to understand.

She smirked as she walked towards Loki's cell, her scarf pulled up over her head.

"You're awfully happy Kaina, why so?" Loki asked as he looked up from the photo book he was going through.

"You should be too, it is your last day in here after all." Loki put his book down and stood up.

"My last day?" Kaina nodded and smiled at his smirk.

"You should be packing." He grabbed the book he had been reading and picked up the others. "The guard is coming to let you out soon, and then Heimdall will see us down to Midgard." She couldn't stop smiling as she spoke. Loki could hear the guards footsteps as he picked up the things Kaina had given him over the years. The guard raised his hand and entered the code to lower the barrier.

Loki stepped out and wrapped Kaina in his arms. She let out a gasp in surprise as he kissed her. She grinned against his lips and returned the kiss.

"Do you have any idea how long I have wanted to do that?" Loki asked as he rested his forehead against hers. She nodded.

"As long as I have." She kissed him quickly before turning away and leading him to his old room. "You need a shower first Loki." He smirked and followed her back to his room as he put the books in the bag she supplied.

The shower felt like the best shower he had ever had, as he watched the dirt wash off of him. His hair felt clean again, even though it now reached below his collar bones. He could have stood there for a lot longer than he had already, but he wanted to go back down to Midgard and see Taylor. He wanted to see Kaina happy again.

"Loki, you don't have all day, Heimdall will be opening the Bifrost soon." Loki grabbed a towel and started to dry himself. When he was dressed he stepped into his room and saw Kimberly sat on his bed waiting for him. "Finally." He smirked and helped her up.

"I believe we are to go to Midgard." She smirked and lifted the bag higher onto her shoulder.

"Yes we are."


	12. Welcome home

**AN: This is the last chapter. The final one. Well, there may be an epilogue but that depends if I can be bothered. This is also so long, longer than the last one I think. Anyway, enjoy :)**

"Kaina, where is Thor? He said he wanted to come with you." Heimdall asked as Loki and Kaina entered the room. Kaina nodded and walked towards Heimdall, arms out to hug the god.

"He is on his way. I fear this is goodbye Heimdall." Heimdall smiled and hugged the woman .

"Don't fear Kaina, I will be watching you anyway." Kaina smiled and stepped back as Thor entered the room.

"Do not look so sad Kaina, you may yet return." Kaina laughed and shook her head.

"I have seen enough in the 10 years I have been here. Besides I have a world to show Loki. Starting with home. Goodbye Heimdall."

"I will see you again." Heimdall thrust his sword and the Bifrost opened.

The landing was easier than it was than it had been 10 years ago. It was autumn in New York and the leaves were already falling as they walked up the steps to Kaina's house.

"I hope they haven't changed the lock." she said as she pulled her key out and tried the lock. The key fit and she smiled and pushed the door open,stepping into the living room.

"Pete?" Taylor was sat on the sofa with a young child on her knee. Kaina smirked.

"Nope, guess again." Taylor gasped and got up, putting the child down and rushing over.

"Mom." She hugged the older woman and squeezed her before realising that Loki was stood behind her. "Mischief." She let go of her mother and hugged the god. Kaina put her bag down as a young girl came down the stairs, cornrows bobbing with the motion. She stopped at the bottom step and looked at the pair stood at the door, Thor had gone to the tower.

"Who are they?" She had dark skin and even darker hair. Taylor turned at the sound of their voice.

"Lissy, this is my mom, your grandmother Kimberly." Kaina looked between the 2 with wide eyes as she took in her granddaughter.

"Wait, I am a grandmother. Since when? Also I go by Kaina now Tay." Taylor looked at her mother and nodded.

"Since 7 years ago. Mom this is Alicia, Alicia this is my mother." Alicia stepped down from the bottom step and stared critically at her.

"She looks younger than you, she can't be your mother." Taylor laughed and gestured for her daughter to sit down.

"Kaina why don't you and Loki go up stairs and get changed, Lissy sit down its hard to explain." Kaina started up the stairs before Taylor spoke again. "Nat kept notes, and I think Tony recorded some things, keep you up to date." Kaina nodded before she went to what had once been her room and opened the door. She was glad that it had been kept as it was, except for the bags that had been shoved into it.

"Are they-?" She looked at the bags closer and recognised them as the ones filled with clothes that they had bought for Loki.

"Yes they are. Guess we're sharing a room then." Kaina said as she opened her closet and pulled out a vest top and a skirt.

"I guess we are, um whose going to change first?" Loki asked as he ferreted through one of the bags with his clothes in. Kaina turned to face him.

"Loki, we are both adults, and we have basically been dating for the last 10 years. We can change at the same time if your comfortable with it."

"I am, but I am not sure how much longer I can hold back, and I would rather not take you before we meet with the avengers." She sighed.

"Alright, I'll change first then, I shan't take long." Loki pulled out a T shirt and shirt combo with a pair of jeans, then left and waited outside the door. He could just hear Taylor talking to her daughter downstairs, though he couldn't make out the words. The door opened and Kaina walked out, pulling on a cardigan. She smiled as she passed him to walk down the stairs. Loki watched her before he went into the room and got changed.

"Have you told her Tay?" she asked as she leant on the sofa behind her daughter. Lissy looked up from the child in her lap, her baby brother, and looked her up and down.

"So you're an alien. And you're really old."

"I am only part alien, and yes I am really old. 2036 to be precise." Lissy nodded, it was too much to have any other reaction. Kaina turned to Taylor. "Are the others still at the tower?"

"There is no tower, there hasn't been since SHEILD went under. I can drive you there if you want to see them." Kaina raised an eyebrow at this.

"If SHEILD went under, how do you know where they are?" Taylor smiled and reached into the drawer next to the sofa.

"I work there now, have done since I finished college." she said as she held up a badge with a picture of her and the SHEILD logo.

"Huh."

"You work there? They let you?" Loki asked as he reached the bottom of the stairs, Taylor nodded. Alicia looked at him and spoke up.

"And you're the god of mischief. Aren't you?" Loki nodded.

"And you are Alicia, Taylor's daughter, and her son." Alicia nodded as Loki gestured to the young boy in her lap. "Could you take us to them now? Or would you have to wait for Pete?"

"She doesn't have to wait for me, who is asking?" The door closed and he looked around. Taylor stood up and smiled.

"Loki was. Hi Pete." Pete raised an eyebrow at her before his eyes widened.

"No way. Kimberly ?"

"It is Kaina now, but yeah." Kaina smiled and waved at him.

"By all means, go and catch up the Avengers. I'll look after the kids." Taylor looked into his eyes before nodding.

"Come on then." Taylor grabbed her keys and left the house.

"How long have you 2 been married?" Kaina asked as she opened the door to the car that Taylor had blipped open.

"Technically, we're still not. We were waiting for you to get back." She revved the engine and started towards the new SHEILD building. Kaina hadn't realised how nervous she was until she could see the building in the distance. She felt Loki's hand on the back of her seat and realised that he was nervous as well. Taylor pulled the car to a stop and got out.

"Are you alright?" Loki asked as he opened the door for her. She nodded and got up and out of the car. Taylor was waiting for them at the top of the drive way, arms crossed. She waited for them to catch up before pushing open the door.

"Hello Miss Taylor. Welcome back Miss Kimberly, Sir Loki." Kaina smiled at the AI's voice.

"Hello Jarvis. Can you call me Kaina now please."

"I will update my information. Thank you for informing me of the name change Lady Kaina." Kaina smiled and followed her daughter to the lift with Loki just in front of her. Taylor leant in front of them and pressed the button for the 4 floor.

"They should all be waiting for us." Kaina held her hands together in front of her and played with her fingers. Loki saw this and stilled them with his hand. The doors opened and everyone turned to look at them.

"Welcome back, we have some people you should meet." Natasha was the first to speak. She smiled and stepped aside. "Kaina, meet Wanda and Pietro." 2 twenty somethings waved at her. Kaina felt a gust of wind circle her and then move to the woman's side.

"I thought you were dead. At least Thor told me so." She said as she pointed at him, looking between the 2.

"He was." Natasha smirked at Tony's deadpan.

"I walked it off." Pietro spoke. Kaina recognised the accent, she was about to comment when Thor grabbed her and Loki.

"There you are, I was wondering where you had gone." There was already a strong scent of alcohol surrounding him.

"We went to Taylor's. Have you already been drinking?" Loki asked as he pulled Thor's arm off of him. Thor nodded and held up a bottle. It was small and had a label on it.

"Mjolnir: Fire Mead. Brewed and created be Elmcloud. Where did you get this Thor?" His brother pointed at Tony who held his hands up in defence.

"He wanted some strong mead, this man made some. Besides Thor said that he had a good beard and that he could trust men with good beards." Thor nodded at the addition of the beard note.

"He had a nice beard brother, I trust men with nice beards. I only trust men with nice beards." Loki looked hurt.

"I don't have a beard- that's the point isn't it." Thor smiled and took the bottle back from Loki.

"I doubt you can hold this Mjolnir either." Kaina rolled her eyes and walked away from the bickering siblings and walked towards Natasha and the enhanced twins.

"I don't mean to sound rude, but what can you do? What is your ability?" The woman asked as she raised her hands. "I don't seem to be able to see in your head-" Her eyes widened as Kaina forced her out of her mind.

"You don't want to go in there. First of all you can't cause my mind is too broken to register mind games. Secondly even if you could you wouldn't want to." A gust of wind and Pietro was behind her, a hand firmly on her back.

"What did you to to my sister?" Kaina turned her glance to the young woman in front of her and realised what she had done.

"Shit. I cut her power off, but a part of her is still inside my head, I need to grant her access before she can get out. Damn it kid I told you." She closed her eyes and leant against her cane as she tried to allow the girl access. With a gasp and a sputter Wanda pulled free, Pietro was at her side in an instant.

"Yo- your mind is a thousand pieces. There is so much pain in there." Kaina winced.

"Still got to read it did ya?"

"What are you?" Natasha saw her roll her eyes and stepped in.

"She's an alien, partially. Kaina, why don't you go find Tony so he can catch you up?" Kaina nodded and walked towards Stark as Nat told the twins what she was. Tony smirked and put the drink down on the table.

"Hey, long time no see. Nice cane." Kaina rolled her eyes and sat down opposite him. "Guess you want catching up then?"

"Please." Tony stood up and gestured for her to follow him down the corridor.

"I've set it up to show you anything you want to know, but I think that I should tell you about the new Avengers first. First of all there are the twins, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, she's weird he's fast. It's more technical than that but they'll tell them yourself. Then there is Vision, an AI that myself, Bruce, Thor, and Helen Cho created, he holds an infinity stone. The most recent addition has been James Buchanan Barnes, previously known as the Winter Soldier and close friend of Steve. You'll meet them all soon." he said to her back as she flicked through the screens, green eyes scanning the information. She turned at the sound of the door closing behind Tony and let out a small sigh before turning back.

"Welcome back Kaina." She closed the screen and turned around to grab her cane before she relaxed. She hadn't heard the door open.

"Steve." She set the cane down and walked towards him. He smiled and ruffled her hair as the door creaked open again. A man, similar in age to Steve stood there and she could almost place them. A quick glance to her side helped.

"You must be Bucky. I'm Kaina, an Avenger." She turned a questioning glance at Steve. "I am still an Avenger right?" He nodded at the question, the motion drawing her attention to his hair. "Nice hair cut by the way." she added as she walked out of the door. A blur of blue greeted her and she flinched.

"So you're an alien." His silver hair bobbed as he looked her up and down. "You don't look much like one." She frowned.

"I'm only half alien. I thought I read in your file that you were dead." Tony laughed to the side of them.

"Technically he was. He has heightened healing." Tony started to explain.

"But if he died then that wouldn't bring him back."

"You're right, it wouldn't. But we still had some of your blood from then. We gave him a small amount and-"

"My blood, pure? Didn't I tell you it could drive people mad?"

"You never mentioned using it on the dead. We assumed it was alright to use on him and hooked him up to a machine to get his blood pumping through his body. Your blood worked a treat." Tony offered her a drink and she shook her head as she leant against her cane.

"So I'm alive because of her. I owe you thanks then." Pietro turned back from Tony and smiled at her. Wanda walked up behind her brother and said her thanks.

"I think you should actually be thanking Tony but you're welcome I guess." Tony raised an eyebrow at her but glanced away when Thor let out a laugh. Kaina walked towards the bar that Tony was stood behind and glanced over the side, letting out a sigh as she saw Loki sat crossed legged on the floor with the chair he had been sat on on the floor next to him.

"That's the first time you have called me Tony." She looked sideways at him and rolled her eyes.

"I could call you Stark if it would make you feel better." He shook his head in answer and grabbed the bottle of Mjolnir from the Asgardians before they downed it all, placing it under the bar for later.

"Don't do that, I like the name Tony. Hey how's your alcohol tolerance?" She turned to look at him as he grabbed a small stack of shot glasses.

"Are you asking me to a drinking contest? I'm pretty sure I left you all hungover from the party we had 10 years ago." She leant on her cane and rolled her eyes.

"Didn't answer the question. Come on, gather around everyone who wants to participate." He grabbed another bottle of Mjolnir and walked over to the sofa. Kaina rolled her eyes as she followed him, stopping to help Loki stand and pulling his chair back up.

"Your booze is under the bar, second shelf. Tony, I am over 2000 years old, how good do you think my tolerance is?" He pointed a finger at her, conceding a point, and opened the shot glass packet. Nat and the Twins sat down and Tony raised an eyebrow.

"You all taking part?" They all nodded, Tony gulped. He was fine with going against the twins, Nat however. Kaina smirked and nudged Nat over. Thor came over and Tony shook his head. "Not this time big guy, you're already smashed, it wouldn't be fair." Thor shrugged and sat down to watch instead. Tony uncorked the lid with a pop and poured a shots worth into each glass. "Cheers." One.

"Cheers." they all said as they tipped the shot back. Tony gagged at the strength of it and sputtered. Wanda blanched slightly but got over the taste. Kaina and Nat weren't phased and shrugged whilst Pietro looked like he was swirling it in his mouth. He swallowed it quickly and smirked at Tony.

"Sure you want to continue, Tony?" Natasha asked with a smirk as she ran a hand through her hair. It was then that Kaina noticed that she had shaved part of it off and had a small scar just above her ear.

"How did you get the scar?" Kaina asked as Tony poured them another round. Nat glanced at her and smirked.

"Long story short, there was another fight against HYDRA and we got shot at." Kaina nodded in understanding as she took her shot glass and tipped it back.

"I take it that's where you found the twins." Pietro put his glass down and pointed at them before speaking.

"Technically we found them." His grin was the same colour of his hair. "They didn't see that coming." Clint, who had sat down to watch the contest, laughed and signed something that Kaina only just caught the jist of. Nat realised and translated.

"He said that its an inside joke, god have you gotten rusty." Kaina pulled a face and turned back to the shot glass.

"I've been in a land that understands every language, I apologise for utilising this and speaking in my mother tongue." Nat smirked and downed her drink again.

"Well than we need to catch you back up with your languages. How many do you think Tony can take?" Kaina pondered this, glanced at Tony and Wanda who were starting to show signs of going, and smiled.

"Tony, 3, Wanda as well. You, how many more can you take?" Nat swirled her glass and looked at the mead inside it.

"Probably 4 or 5, yourself?"

"Similar, maybe 6." Tony poured them all another drink but left himself out. Pietro glanced at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Pepper doesn't like it when I come home smashed." Kaina smiled, glad that her friend was actually taking his relationship seriously, and downed her shot. Four. The alcohol stung her throat as it went down, but it tasted nice. Five. Wanda dropped out, waving away the sixth round and standing up to get some water.

Pietro smirked and glanced into each of their eyes as the contest became serious. Tony refilled each of their glasses and happily noticed that their accents were becoming more obvious.

Seven.

"I bet he's using his tolerance ability to help, no way he's that strong." Clint whispered to Steve who had entered halfway through. Bucky looked like he wanted to join but he knew it was too late now. Kaina looked around before she took her shot, noticing Bruce standing next to Loki who was watching from the bar.

Eight.

Pietro was close to given in. His skin started to become blotchy and he looked like he was on the verge of passing out.

"He's going." Kaina said in heavily accented English. Nat smirked, though she didn't look much better. Kaina turned to Tony. "What's the rule on winning?"

"Last person has to take another shot after the other gives." he replied as he refilled their glasses.

Nine.

A blur of blue went to the bathroom and Clint started laughing.

"That, I saw coming." He got up and followed the younger man. "There is a reason you don't challenge Nat and Kaina to a contest." Nat looked pale.

"I think I'm done as well." Her Russian accent came through as she pushed away her empty glass.

Ten.

Kaina took the final shot on her own. Thor clapped her on the back as she stood up to get some water. She didn't realise that she was leaning on her cane as heavily as she was, but she was glad for it. Loki handed her a glass of water which she downed.

"Thank you, my young love." Loki smiled and kissed her forehead .Tony and the others glanced at the foreign words.

"No one going to comment on the fact that she spoke another language, and that Loki understood it?" Thor shook his head at Tony's obliviousness.

"Loki speaks Allspeak, like I do. Therefore he understands every language. Besides, all she said was Thank you and called him her young love." Nat smiled and gave a whoop from the sofa.

"It's official, you're together." Kaina turned from where she had buried her pounding head in Loki's chest and raised an eyebrow at Natasha.

"We've been together for 10 years, it's not like we hid it." Nat raised an eyebrow before Loki translated.

"She said that we have been together for 10 years, and that it's not like we have hidden it." Nat smirked as Kaina nodded whilst pouting. She was a cute drunk, and one that clearly got sleepy. She buried her head back in his chest and tried to stop the grin at the sight of Steve and Bucky holding hands.

"I knew it." She whispered to herself as JARVIS's voice echoed around the room, telling them that Pepper was on her way up.

"What did you know?" Loki leant his head down and whispered back. She had already forgot that he understood Arabic.

"That Steve and Bucky were a thing." Loki looked up at the two and noticed that they were indeed holding hands as Pepper walked in and took her shoes off at the door. Tony stood from the sofa and walked towards her, turning some music on as he did so. Pepper smiled at him and glanced around the room, noticing that they were back. Natasha laughed at something Clint signed as he entered the room with Pietro and he smirked.

"Course I will, come on then." Pietro walked towards Kaina and Loki and gently patted her back.

"How many did you have?" She looked up at him and smiled.

"10." He raised an eyebrow and nodded approvingly as Wanda came over and dragged him away to dance. Bruce was talking to Vision on the sofa with Sam and Rhodey claiming the opposite one, a glass of the avengers new found favourite drink in hand.

Thor pressed a drink of cold water into Loki's hand and gestured to Kaina who was still in Loki's arms. Loki nodded and pressed the cold glass against her warm shoulder. She turned her head to glance at the cool object before taking it and sipping at the water.

"I will be going to find Jane in the morning, to tell her that we are all back. Lady Taylor wishes to leave by the way. Pete says that the children want to see their mother before they go to bed." Kaina and Loki nodded as Thor left to talk to Steve and Bucky who were dancing together.

"We should go then, are you alright to walk?" Kaina grabbed her cane from where it had been leaning against the counter and nodded.

"Are you, you drank more of it than I did." Loki held her hand as they walked towards Taylor who was talking to Pepper.

"I am a god, I can hold mead." She let out a puff of air that could be taken as a laugh.

"I had to help you off the floor." Loki smiled at her as she stumbled and grabbed at his arm. His smile faded as she let go of her cane and grabbed him with both hands.

"Kaina-" She fell to the floor as she stopped being able to support herself on her legs. Loki picked her up quickly and grabbed her cane.

"Fuck. Alcohol and legs don't work." She grabbed onto his shirt as he handed her her cane. Taylor walked over, eyes wide, and looked her mother up and down.

"What happened?" Loki shook his head.

"Since the fight 10 years ago she has had problems with her legs working or in this case not. She should be fine by the morning." Taylor nodded but her grey eyes still held her mothers who nodded. Taylor then turned, said good bye to the others, and started to the lift. She practically ran to the car and opened the door for her mom and Loki to get in the back. Loki rolled his eyes at her panic then realised that this was the first time it had happened to Taylor. When it had happened to him the first time it had been worse, he had to yell for a guard because he couldn't help her. He had hated it

Taylor calmed down on the drive home, glancing at her mother in the mirror every few turns. Kaina was laid down, head resting on Loki's legs, staring into nothing as the car pulled up. She pushed herself up and Loki reached around her waist to help pull her up into a sitting position. Taylor was still considering driving her to the hospital but Loki and her mother had told her otherwise several times, when Loki stood up and carried her mother to the door.

"Taylor, open the door please." Taylor jumped and span around, starting towards the door, and pulled her keys out. Loki walked in first and put Kaina down on the sofa as she started wincing. Lissy and Pete came running over as her muscles started to quiver and realise that they could actually work.

"Mom, is she okay?" Lissy asked as she put a hand to her head. Loki grabbed it just before it touched her skin.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. When she gets like this her skin gets blisteringly hot." Lissy drew her hand back and walked back to her father as a string of curses fell from her grandmother's mouth. Her legs drew up to her chest then stretched out again as feeling returned to her muscles. They all watched for a while before Taylor walked over to her little family and kissed her son and daughter good night. Lissy took her little brother off of her father and started up the stairs. Lissy turned and waved goodnight to her grandmother as well before scurrying up the stairs and closing her bedroom door.

With a whimper like noise Kaina straightened her legs finally and sat up slowly, her body tingling with fire still whipping through her veins.

"I'm sorry for that." She tried to stand up but struggled, Loki offered her her cane but she just shook her head. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight Tay, Pete." Taylor walked towards her and wrapped her arms around her.

"Night mom." Kaina smiled and started up the stairs, gods she had forgotten about the pain of stars. She turned back to grab her cane but Loki was already handing it to her, a half smile playing at his lips. She took it and smiled at him as he followed her up the stairs. Taylor rolled her eyes and turned away, walking in the kitchen.

"Lissy has school tomorrow, don't make too much noise. She's a light sleeper." Kaina flushed and Loki chuckled before turning to look down he stairs.

"I can't make that promise. I promised to show her why I was called silver tongue." Kaina whipped around and hit his arm.

"No you didn't" He smiled.

"I can if you want to." Taylor groaned from the kitchen and Pete put his head in his hands.

"Go to bed you 2, and please be quiet. Lissy is a very perceptive girl." Pete called up the stairs as he walked into the kitchen behind his fiancée.

"I haven't kissed my young love for 10 years, you try that and then tell me to be quiet." Kaina called back as she closed the door. Loki smiled and rolled his eyes as she lay down on the bed next to him. Both of them were to exhausted by the events of the day to actually consider doing anything, but they enjoyed making Taylor and Pete squirm.

Loki rolled over and watched as she fell into sleep, calmness claiming her features, before he leant down and hovered over her lips, torn between stealing a kiss and letting her sleep. She opened a single eye and closed the gap, quickly kissing him before falling into the restless slumber that was routine.

"Good night, my love."


	13. A Wedding and the After Credits Scene

"You look beautiful." Kaina flushed and clenched her hands in her dress as she shook her head, her veil falling over her shoulders.

"You should see Taylor, she looks amazing." She replied as she leant against the door to the kitchen. It had been 4 months since they had all gotten back and they were finally getting married. Of course they had invited all of the avengers, some even had special rolls in the wedding. They had chosen Nat and Wanda to be bridesmaids, and Steve was walking her down the isle, Kaina heard that him and Taylor had gotten close during the 10 years she hadn't been there. Of course they had left Kaina as maid of honour.

"I bet she does. She must take after her mother." Kaina laughed and shook her head.

"I adopted her when she was 8, she doesn't get anything from me." Loki lifted her head up and smiled at her.

"Everything she is, is because of you." She flushed as he leant down and kissed her. "I should be going. I will see you there." Kaina nodded and waited for him to leave before letting out the breath she had been holding. He had been wearing all his asgardian finery, but the way he wore it now showed that he was more comfortable with himself as he was. His new self confidence was making it hard for her to not grab him and kiss him.

"Mom, your help is needed." Kaina turned and smiled, starting up the stairs to Taylor and Pete's room. Taylor was sat on the bed, cream dress pooled around her as Nat did her hair. Taylor smiled through Wanda's make up brush and gestured to her daughter. "Can you do Lissy's hair?" Kaina nodded and picked the small child up around the waist and took her out of the room.

"Stay there Lissy, I'm grabbing a brush and hairband." Lissy sat down on the top stair and pulled at the hem of her navy dress as she waited for her grandmother. Kaina dropped the hairbrush down next to her and knelt down, starting to undo the cornrows. She had done it several times before with Taylor when she had been younger and knew how to do the style she had been asked to do. It didn't take long and she smiled at her work when she put the small crown in Lissy's hair.

Lissy reached a hand up to her hair and gently touched it, feeling the way her hair was pulled back out of her face but left loose at the back.

"Do you want to see it?" Lissy nodded and stood up as Kaina struggled up and grabbed her cane. "Come on then." She opened the door to the bathroom and pulled out the step stall for Lissy who quickly jumped on it and looked in the mirror. She squealed.

"I look like a princess." Her grey eyes sparkled as she turned around and jumped on her grandmother. Kaina laughed and spun the young girl round before putting her down and following her out of the door. "Granny, if I'm a princess does that make mom a queen?" she asked as she pushed the door to her parents room open.

"I suppose it does, but your father will call her a goddess." Taylor turned to look at her daughter as she opened the door.

"Oh you look beautiful darling, thank you mom." she said as she pulled her daughter into her lap. Nat put one final clip in place and then smiled.

"All done Tay." Nat pushed a piece of her hair behind her ear and grinned as Wanda finished at the same time. "We've only got a couple of minutes before we have to leave. Come on girls." Wanda got up off the bed and helped Taylor up. Wanda and Nat wore similar dresses, the only difference being that Wanda's was completely navy whereas Nat's had a white top half.

"Shall we?" Taylor asked as she stood up, her cream dress flowing to the floor in waves, and put her daughter down.

"Well we better or else there isn't going to be a wedding." Lissy ran out of the room and grabbed her shoes as Nat laughed and led them out of the room. She opened the door and laughed at the cars that were to take them to the service. A vintage Buick for the bridesmaids and a Sunbeam Dawn for Kaina and Taylor.

"Lets go. Lissy go with Aunty Nat and Wanda. We have to go in different cars now." Taylor gave her daughter a kiss then got into the back of the car with Kaina.

She was shaking all the way to the church, though she couldn't stop the grin from spreading across her face. As the car pulled up Kaina grabbed her hands and forced her to look at her.

"You'll do fine, Tay. If living with you two for a couple of months is enough to see how much you love each other, if you decided to wait 10 years for me to come back, then you'll be okay." She let go as the door was opened and grabbed her cane before getting out.

"Thanks mom." Taylor said as she leant her head against her mom's shoulder.

"Come on sweetie." Nat said as she walked towards them. Wanda was close behind her, holding Lissy's hand.

The wedding itself was fairly short, though it involved a lot of tears and laughing as Clint claimed a bet from Tony. The church was almost full, with all of Pete's family on one side and almost the whole of SHEILD on the other. Kaina, Nat, Wanda, and Alicia were sat in the front row, with Pete's friends on the row next to them. The row behind them should have been full of Taylor's family, like Pete's was with is mother and father as well as his siblings, but instead the Avengers were sat there. Steve had claimed an isle seat, saying that his legs were to long to sit in the middle, with Loki and Thor sat next to him and Bucky. Bruce sat between Thor and Tony, with Clint and Pietro on the row behind them. Nick, Maria, and the other Avengers she had properly met over the months were sat behind them.

Loki and Clint were constantly leaning over the seats and talking to their friends, even though they got batted away several times and shushed even more. They weren't offended by it, they were grinning all the way through. The kiss earned a round of applause and then there was the reception. Kaina could feel her legs starting to loose feeling and she was glad for the wheel chair she had acquired which she had left at the door. She could do without it for the moment but she would need it at the other end when they got to the party at the Avengers new place.

"Are you alright?" Steve asked as he walked past her. She nodded and leant against her cane as Bucky ruffled her hair as he walked past. She rolled her eyes and grabbed her wheelchair, before she went to the car that was now empty as it was no longer the brides car.

"Let me give you a hand with that." Loki appeared beside her and took the wheelchair and put it in the back as she got in. She budged over into the seat on the right and gestured for Loki to get in.

"Come on Mischief, they'll leave without us." Loki smirked as he got in the car.

"They can hardly leave without the brides mother." He sat down and the driver started after the wedding car in front of them. She leant her head against his shoulder and listened to him breathing for a while before he spoke. "How are you feeling?" She looked at his profile and held his eyes before speaking.

"My legs are going, I can feel it. But that's why I brought the wheelchair so don't worry." He sighed and let her lean on him for the remainder of the drive. It wasn't a long drive and Tony had somehow beat them there, greeting them with a champagne flute. Loki accepted both of them and went to ask him a question as to how he got there before them but Tony beat him to the bullet.

"My car was parked in front of everyone else's, and it's the fastest car." Kaina smiled as she wheeled herself into the lift. Loki grinned and handed her the champagne flute as the lift started up. It was only a few floors before JARVIS stopped and the doors opened, revealing a ridiculous amount of navy, silver and white balloons. Taylor was spinning around in the balloons with Alicia, who was squealing with a smile plastered on her face. Lissy turned around quickly and ran towards her grandmother, jumping onto her lap and giggling ecstatically as Taylor walked over and grabbed the champagne flute from her hand before it was spilled. She smiled brilliantly as the lift closed behind them, going down to pick up more.

"How are you mom?" Taylor asked as she and Loki went further into the room. Kaina rolled her eyes and squeezed Lissy before replying.

"I'm fine, Taylor. I can still sing the song if that's what you want." Taylor shook her head as Lissy jumped off and ran to Steve and Nat and the rest of the people that came out of the lift. Kaina turned and watched as they all ruffled her hair. It was one more lift full before all the avengers were there. Another 2 before all of Pete's family. Taylor nodded and squeezed her leg before turning away and gesturing for the others to enter. That was when the music started and Tony's fist hit the air.

"Let start this party. The bride has been here for 12 minutes with no music, I say, lets change that." This enlisted a bout of laughter from the crowd as Tony started to play the music. It was the song that they had wanted her to sing for them, she was glad it had a long intro because she struggled to get up there in time to start singing.

How long will I love you?  
As long as stars are above you  
And longer, if I can.

How long will I need you?  
As long as the seasons need to  
Follow their plan.

How long will I be with you?  
As long as the sea is bound to  
Wash upon the sand.

How long will I want you?  
As long as you want me to  
And longer by far.

How long will I hold you?  
As long as your father told you,  
As long as you can.

How long will I give to you?  
As long as I live through you  
However long you say.

How long will I love you?  
As long as stars are above you  
And longer, if I may.

We're all traveling through time together  
Every day of our lives.  
All we can do is do our best  
To relish this remarkable ride.

They danced their first dance and it was the first time for some of them to hear her sing. The floor was clear apart from the new bride and groom, though a few looked as though they wanted to join in. Alicia and Wanda were dancing slowly by the tables and Pietro was nearby dancing with them as well.

When she finished the song she took in a deep breath and a round of applause sounded through the room. Blushing she flinched as feeling surged through her legs, rolling herself off of the stage. Steve walked over to her with Clint close behind, neither had heard her sing before.

"I didn't know you could sing." Clint said as they both sat down. Steve smiled and handed her back her champagne that Taylor had taken off of her before she sung.

"Yeah, well you don't have your hearing aids in half of the time so you wouldn't know if I could or couldn't." Clint stuck his tongue out at her and Steve laughed.

"You sounded great."

"Yeah? Well tell that to my nerves." she replied and raised her hand so that Steve could see the tremors going through it. Steve laughed again and offered her a hand as she started to push herself out of her wheelchair.

"That was a short one."

"Yeah, there'll probably be another one later though, depending on how much I drink." Steve nodded knowingly, her loosing her legs had become a common thing, hence her having a wheelchair. He held her up as she looked around, taking in Loki and Thor talking to each other without a fight, seeing Taylor and Pete dancing with Alicia and their son, Toby. She could just see Tony dancing with Pepper in the corner as the song that had been playing after her song wound down. Pietro took the DJ spot and started to play more modern songs as Steve walked her out into the middle of the floor.

"I assume I can have this dance." Kaina smiled at him and nodded, she knew he hadn't danced in a long time.

"You assume correct." she replied as they started to dance. He had caught up on modern culture and was actually better off than her on pop knowledge, a fact that she wanted to change. She glanced over Steve's shoulder in search of Nick, she hadn't seen him come up, and saw a stranger stood in the corner.

They had short brown blonde hair and freckles dotted across their shoulders. They ran into the room at the same speed as Pietro,Kaina turned to look at him on the DJ set but he wasn't there. The girl fell face first and everyone went still. Kaina moved first and offered them a hand up, which she ignored. Tony walked over quickly and glanced down at the girl.

"I couldn't find anything on her." the girl looked up, brown eyes taking him in before a look of recognition crossed behind them.

"That's because she was a he." she gasped, frantic energy streaming from them. Taylor walked over with everyone else and crowded around them, Nick walking from the door the girl had come from, Pietro at his side.

"Don't touch her, she will copy your ability." Every one of the avengers took a step back, Kaina included, and a circle was formed.

"Who the hell is she and what is she doing in my building, Nick? I'm really getting fed up of you not informing me on these types of things." Tony said, annoyed that he couldn't find anything on them due to the simple error of being the wrong gender.

"She's in the room." the girl said from the middle of the circle where her hands and feet couldn't stop moving. "God, can someone that's not a super freak touch me so I can copy them?" All of the avengers looked at each other before Pete stepped forward.

"I'm not an avenger, I'm just a teacher, you should be alright." they grabbed Pete's hand and let out a sigh of relief as their hands and feet stopped moving.

"Thank you. Now, can someone tell me who the hell you think you are, kidnapping me in broad daylight?"


End file.
